Brian Walshe has become best known for his now infamous alleged Google searches made on the day his wife, Ana, was last seen — New Year's Day 2023.
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In episode 2 of "The Searches for Ana Walshe" podcast, we are diving deeper into a years-long art fraud scheme involving phony Andy Warhol paintings that Brian orchestrated and was recently sentenced to years in prison for.
The art case, while separate from his alleged killing of Ana, shines light on his history, tendencies and finances.
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Walshe's scheme began in 2011, when he traveled to South Korea to visit a friend that he knew from college. This friend's name was redacted in court documents, but prosecutors said that Brian told him that he could sell valuable art belonging to him and his family on their behalf.
The friend and his family agreed, so Brian left South Korea with three paintings by Andy Warhol and two prints by another major pop artist, Keith Haring. He also was given a small Chinese statue.
In the years that followed, Brian would have fake copies of Warhols made, sell them to unsuspecting collectors and fail to pass earnings on to his friend in South Korea from the sale of the original works. In the wake of these crimes, which Walshe has pleaded guilty to, victims are out hundreds of thousands of dollars and relationships have been permanently damaged.
Hear about all of this and more, including the "genius" level techniques Brian used to pull the scheme off, in episode 2 of "The Searches for Ana Walshe." Plus, we take you to federal court, where Brian was sentenced to more than 3 years behind bars for his crimes, and ordered to pay nearly half a million dollars in restitution.
Listen, download and subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
