Disgraced Michigan Dealer Behind $1.6 Million Con Is Sentenced

Wendy Halstead Beard, a Detroit-area photography dealer, was sentenced to five years in prison for swindling elderly collectors out of rare photographic prints through her Wendy Halstead Gallery. Beard received fine art photography prints on consignment, sold the artwork without the owners' knowledge, kept the profits, and continually deceived the owners; she was ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution.