Art Dealer Wanted for Fraud in U.S Arrested in Spain

Spanish officials say a businessman suspected of having dealt in millions of dollars of fake art has been arrested during Easter festivities in southern Spain.

Art dealer Jose Carlos Bergantinos Diaz, who is wanted for fraud in the United States, was arrested Friday at a luxury hotel in Seville. The Interior Ministry said Sunday he was so surprised by his arrest that he had to be attended by medical workers.

The arrest came as Seville was full of tourists eager to watch its world-famous Easter processions.

Glafira Rosales, Bergantinos Diaz’s partner, was arraigned in New York in August, accused of peddling counterfeit art for 15 years as undiscovered works by world-renowned artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.