Art Dealer Swindled By Brian Walshe Describes 'Oscar-Worthy Performance'

The art dealer who was allegedly swindled by murder suspect Brian Walshe said Walshe gave an "Oscar-worthy performance" to con him, according to reports.

Walshe was arrested earlier this month in Massachusetts for allegedly misleading investigators looking into the disappearance of his wife Ana Walshe. Brian Walshe has pleaded not guilty to these charges.

Further charges of murder were brought against Walshe on Tuesday, while he remained in police custody.

Speaking to Newsweek, Chief William Quigley of the Cohasset Police Department said: "We had held out hope that Ana was alive but the evidence led us in a much different direction."

Ana Walshe had not been seen since the early hours of January 1 at their Cohasset, Massachusetts, home. While Brian Walshe has been charged with murder, no body of Ana Walshe has been found.

Speaking to NewsNation, Daily Beast reporter Justin Rohrlich detailed what the man allegedly swindled by Brian Walshe told him.

Ron Rivlin, one of the U.S.'s top dealers in Warhol artworks, told Rohrlich that Brian Walshe initially was "charismatic, articulate, transparent, and professional," before changing completely.

Reflecting on Brian Walshe's overall character, Rivlin also said: "He knows how to play the legal system, he knows how to play everyone and everything.

"He's very calculated."

Brian Walshe previously pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, according to court documents from 2021.

Investigators believe he took authentic Andy Warhol paintings acquired from a friend, and photographed them in hopes of selling replicas on eBay.

Rohrlich said: "The original Warhols came from a college friend of Brian Walshe that he met in his freshman year.

"He was actually in South Korea to attend this man's wedding when he told him he could get a good price for these two Warhol canvases that he had.

"He put them up on eBay for $80,000 and a dealer in Los Angelos named Ron Rivlin wound up buying them.

"He sent his assistance to Boston from Los Angeles to exchange a cashier's check for the two paintings.

"When they got back to L.A. he realized they were fakes.

"He said of the thousands of Warhols he has purchased in his career as a dealer, this is the only [fake] that got by him.

"He said Walshe was just that good. [He told me] he said all the right things until he got his money, he knew how to play him and then he disappeared."

Newsweek has contacted the Norfolk County district attorney's office and Cohasset Police Department for comment.