Missing MA Woman's Husband 'Manipulative, Likable,' Court Records From Fraud Case Allege

COHASSET, MA — Court documents from a 2021 art fraud case involving Brian Walshe, the man who was arrested after being accused of misleading police into the investigation of his missing wife Ana Walshe, characterize him as a "likable" but "manipulative" con artist with a "pattern of lies, deceit, and fraud."

According to a document from the United States District Court of Massachusetts, beginning in 2011, Brian Walshe orchestrated a multi-year, multi-faceted scheme to defraud multiple people who had an interest in paintings by iconic American artist Andy Warhol.

The document reveals that Walshe began his scheme in South Korea, where he was staying with the family of a friend whom he had met when they were both freshmen at Carnegie Mellon. The document says that during his stay, Walshe told his friend that he could sell some of the art belonging to the friend and their family — including two Andy Warhol “Shadows” paintings purchased from a dealer for $240,000 and certified by the Andy Warhol Authentication Board Inc. and an Andy Warhol “Dollar Sign” painting — on their behalf.

But at some point, according to the document, Walshe decided that he would not return the paintings to his friend and their family, nor would he give them the proceeds of the sales, writing in his diary in March 2011 that his friend and their family are “all about themselves,” which “makes it easy for me to do them up.”

“Whatever,” Walshe wrote in the entry dated March 29, according to the document.

Beginning that same year, Walshe attempted to sell the paintings while rebuffing attempts from his friend and their family to get their art back, according to the document. When he was able to make sales for his own benefit, he did so “very profitably,” the document said.

Over the next several years, Walshe obtained two sets of forged “Shadows” paintings, and potentially a fake “Dollar Sign” painting, and began to attempt to sell them under the guise that they were genuine, even showing prospective buyers Warhol Foundation numbers from the genuine paintings he previously obtained as “proof” of their authenticity, authorities allege.

As a result of Walshe’s sales of fraudulent paintings, along with the money lost by the rightful owners of the genuine painting, the government determined that the victims’ losses totaled around half a million.

Calling the crimes “devious, complicated, and planned,” the government noted that Walshe betrayed friends and destroyed relationships for his own gain.

“Walshe committed this crime over many years, from 2011 to 2016,” the government wrote. “He traveled to multiple countries. He enlisted multiple artists to prepare fake paintings, with multiple lies … he manipulated and stole from people who trusted him, welcomed him into their homes, and considered him a close friend. He crafted complicated stories and lies about the paintings to make the fraudulent sales believable.”

Citing victim letters, the government wrote that Walshe “took advantage” of his strong communication skills and likability to “ensnare his victims,” including another college friend from whom he “borrowed” $500,000 and never repaid it. Another friend told the FBI that Walshe would attend “elaborate, expensive” dinners then ask his friends to pay for them, according to the document.

The government further stated that the “real reason Walshe committed these frauds” was to sustain the “lavish lifestyle” which he had known since he was a child born into a wealthy family. Credit card receipts show that Walshe used much of his earnings from two victims to shop at a designer store and pay off debt that included charges for travel and restaurants, according to authorities.

Walshe is currently on probation and in home confinement as he awaits sentencing for the federal case after pleading guilty to wire fraud, interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.

According to authorities, it was Walshe's tendency to deceive that led to his arrest for misleading investigators in the case of his wife's disappearance.

On Jan. 1, Walshe told investigators that he went to CVS and Whole Foods to run errands for his mother—who had just undergone cataract surgery—though investigators say that surveillance footage reveals those trips did not occur, according to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest.

Walshe "provided statements relative to his movements and activities after his wife's disappearance that were not substantiated by investigation," which included purchasing a tarp and cleaning supplies, the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office said Monday.

The affidavit said Walshe broke the terms of his probation by leaving his home and traveling to multiple towns without prior approval after his wife went missing, including making a cash purchase at Home Depot on Jan. 2 while wearing a surgical mask and surgical gloves during the time that was allotted for his kids' pick up from school.

The information revealed in the affidavit comes as prosecutors say a bloody knife was found in the basement of the home he shares with his wife. Prosecutors revealed the information at a Monday arraignment, where Walshe pleaded not guilty after appearing on charges of misleading police.

A disturbing internet search history was also discovered on devices belonging to Walshe, according to reports in CNN and NBC Boston.

A source told NBC Boston the searches were related to murder. While the news outlet's report did not specify the exact subject of the searches, two law enforcement sources told CNN the record showed searches related to dismembering a body.

At Walshe's arraignment Monday, the judge imposed a $500,000 cash bail and ordered Walshe to return to the Quincy District Court on Feb. 9.