Bill Lowe, high-end Buckhead art dealer, indicted on racketeering, theft charges

Bill Lowe, who has run one of Atlanta's higher-end galleries since the late 1980s, was indicted on Friday on criminal racketeering and theft charges. 
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? A Fulton County grand jury delivered an indictment, which we've embedded below, accusing the owner of the Bill Lowe Gallery of withholding sale proceeds to artists and not returning unsold artwork. Those artists include Don Sultan, Mark Perlman, Lissa Rankin, and others. According to the indictment, artists are owed just shy of $350,000.  
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? Sultan, a New York-based artist, told WSB-TV that "it is about time. It seemed like everybody in Atlanta knew he was doing stuff like this and no one was doing anything about it."
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? Lowe's way of dealing with artists has been the source of gossip in the arts community for several years. Atlanta Police raided Lowe's Midtown gallery in 2013. WSB-TV reported at the time of the raid that artists had claimed they weren't paid for sold work. Lowe called the allegations "inaccurate," Project Q said at the time. In the weeks that followed, other artists who alleged that Lowe was late making payments stepped forward. Lowe later set up shop on Miami Circle.
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? Lowe is being represented by Bruce Harvey, the well-known criminal defense attorney who often represents high-profile clients. In a statement, Harvey says :
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? ?? "For 30 years, Bill Lowe and the Bill Lowe Gallery have been a well respected part of the Atlanta arts community. Bill and his gallery have developed a national and international reputation as one of the premier galleries for artists to showcase their work on a national and international stage. The gallery has represented – and continues to represent – world class artists and their work throughout the world.
? Bill is deeply saddened by the charges in this matter that have converted contract disputes to criminal charges and turned the Fulton County District Attorney’s office into a collection agency. He disputes any and all charges and looks forward to his vindication in a court of law."
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? View the indictment after the jump. ??
? ??? ?? Fulton County grand jury indictment of Bill Lowe by thomaswheatley????