ORLANDO, FLORIDA – A 48-year-old man plead guilty to stealing money from artwork he sold to his own personal accounts.
Jeffrey Hall, 48, of Maitland, faces up to 20 years in federal prison. As part of his plea agreement, Hall agreed to pay over $1.5 million in restitution. His sentencing has been scheduled for February 19, 2015.
Hall, who was the art gallery’s manager, was indicted on August 27, 2014.
The case was investigated by the FBI.
According to court documents, Hall worked at a local art gallery with other locations outside of Central Florida
Over a two-year period, he used his position at the gallery to embezzle over $1.5 million. Hall did this by diverting proceeds from the sale of artwork to his own personal bank accounts, or to a business account that belonged to him.
He also used the gallery’s artwork as loan collateral for himself and sold some of the artwork on eBay, officials said.