Bent Bookseller Caged For Forgeries

A bookseller, who forged the signatures of famous authors, including Sir Winston Churchill and TS Eliot, to falsely inflate the value of his stock has been jailed for ten months.

Allan Formhals, 66, (pictured) from Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire bought the books at car boot sales and second-hand shops and signed them himself – duping buyers all over the world.

He was convicted at Southampton Crown Court on eight counts of fraud and two counts of possessing articles for use in fraud.

The case was a success for the Met's Art and Antiques Unit, which began investigating Formhals in January 2011.

Officers were alerted to a number of Winston Churchill books and memorabilia, supposedly carrying Sir Winston's signature, being offered for sale in London.

Working closely with the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA), they identified that the signatures were forgeries.



Formhals was arrested at home on February 3, 2011 and a large quantity of books were recovered, bearing forged signatures of a number of authors including Winston Churchill, TS Eliot, JRR Tolkien, Oscar Wilde, Aldous Huxley and Robert Louis Stevenson.

In addition, autograph books bearing thousands of 'practice' signatures were recovered, together with a calligraphy pen and ink.



The investigation revealed that Formhals had been purchasing large quantities of unsigned books for just a few pounds before selling them on 'signed', for several hundred pounds each.

He would offer a signed book for sale on E-bay before building up a relationship with the buyer and then continuing to sell large quantities of books and memorabilia to the unsuspecting victims.



One customer paid £10,000 to purchase approximately sixty-eight genuine Sir Winston Churchill items.

ABA's Pom Harrington provided essential evidence as an expert witness whom a victim had approached to check the authenticity of Churchill signatures in books he had bought from Formhals.



Detective Constable Ian Lawson, of the Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Unit, said: "This was a lucrative fraud in which Formhals purchased unsigned books for just a few pounds.

“Over an eighteen month period he released them onto the market bearing forged signatures and fake provenance, selling them at vastly increased prices.

“We have recovered more than one hundred items bearing forged signatures, but it is believed that many more have been released onto the market.

“We would ask dealers to be vigilant when trading in books signed by the authors listed above."



Formhals is subject to a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, where an application will be made to confiscate money which he has made from his criminal activities. 



Laurence Worms, President of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association, said: "The tough sentence handed down to former Hampshire antiques dealer Allan Formhals represents a major breakthrough in the fight against internet auction fraud.

“Law enforcement agencies around the world have previously found it difficult to secure convictions in this field and the Art and Antiques Unit and the CPS are to be congratulated for obtaining a result which will make life very much more difficult for internet auction forgers in future. 




“We are pleased to say that the work and testimony of our own member, Pom Harrington, has been key to that success.

“The ABA will continue to work closely with the Art and Antiques Unit to publicise details of these forgeries, to remove them from the market and to ensure that collectors can continue to buy with confidence from reputable dealers."