Morrisseau art fraud sentencing interrupted after allegations late artist’s estate may have been complicit

What was supposed to be the continuation of Jeff Cowan’s sentencing hearing turned confrontational when a lawyer representing the estate of Norval Morrisseau estate unexpectedly appeared in court.

The lawyer, Jason Gratl, also claimed to represent Gabe Vadas and Cory Dingle; two individuals who abruptly decided they wouldn’t be providing victim impact statements during the proceedings.

Cowan’s lawyer, Nathan Gorham, told the court he received an email from Gratl, in which the B.C. lawyer threatened civil action if Gorham defames his clients during the sentencing hearing.

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Gorham characterized an email from Gratl as “harassing” and “abusive” behaviour that threatened potential civil litigation on the basis of defamation on behalf of the Morrisseau estate, Vadas and Dingle, who have publicly represented Morrisseau interests for years.

Gratl, the court heard, is concerned with hypothetical arguments Gorham might make about both Vadas and Dingle and their alleged involvement in an art fraud ring that led to convictions of Cowan and his co-accused Jim White and David Paul Bremner, who both took plea deals last summer and testified against Cowan in trial.

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Gorham said the defence provided to the court an affidavit from Morrisseau expert John Zemanovich, whose investigation into forgeries of Morrisseau paintings found that Dingle and Vadas knew about the existence of fake Morrisseau works and that members of Morrisseau’s estate may have been directly involved in creating and, or, selling forgeries while passing them off as real Morrisseau works. In some cases, it’s alleged the estate assisted in authenticating the works and profiting directly or indirectly from their existence in the market which grew following Morrisseau’s death in 2007.

Cowan, who represented himself and was convicted in November by a jury of four fraud charges for selling mimicked works of the late Indigenous artist.

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Gorham told the court he plans to call Cowan to the witness stand to testify, which Cowan did not do at trial.

The Crown argued Cowan was the source of hundreds of mimicked Norval Morrisseau works that sold for thousands of dollars.

Gratl was given seven days by Justice Laura Bird to provide a response to the court following his interruption of the proceedings.

The defence suggested Cowan’s Charter rights may now have been infringed upon.

Cowan’s sentencing hearing is scheduled to resume in April when he is expected to testify.