Ex-Birmingham Art Dealer Steals $1.5M From Customers: Feds

BIRMINGHAM, MI — A former Birmingham art dealer is in trouble after federal officials said she stole more than $1.5 million in profits from at least ten customers who trusted her with the sale.

Wendy Halstead Beard, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud before United States District Judge Judith E. Levy. She will be sentenced on Dec. 12.

Officials said Beard received fine art photography prints on consignment, sold the artwork without the knowledge of the owners, kept the profits for her own personal gain. She also continually deceived the owners about the status of their photographs, officials said.

Officials said Beard ran the scheme from March 2019 through October 2022 with the purpose of the scheme was for Beard to embezzle the proceeds from the sale of multiple fine art photographs that had been provided to her by her customers on a consignment basis, officials said.

When customers asked for their photographs back after the consignment agreements ended, Beard provided the customers with a false sense of security by offering excuses for her unwillingness or inability to promptly return the victims’ after the expiration of the operative, officials said.

Beard often exaggerated the severity of her own health problems, including claiming to have recently been in a coma and to have received a double-lung transplant, officials said.

Beard also told her customers that there was a lack of interest among potential buyers, although she already sold the photographs in question, officials said.

Even more so, Beard created fake "employee" identities, which she used to correspond with her customers in a further effort to deceive them, officials said.

In her plea agreement, Beard admitted that at least one victim was vulnerable due to the victim’s advanced age, officials said.

The government asserts that the losses associated with the scheme are at least $1.5 million, according to court records.