Berks art fraudster has 60 days to address probation violations

A Berks County man who admitted to federal art fraud charges has been given a little extra time to address violations of his probation.

Carter Reese, a Harvard-educated former fine arts and history teacher at the prestigious Hill School in Pottstown, is in the midst of two years of federal probation.

The stint follows 60 days in federal prison and four months of home detention, which were all part of a sentence he received in September after pleading guilty to mail fraud and wire fraud in May 2025.

In pleading guilty, the 78-year-old Reese admitted he lied about the authenticity of pieces of art he sold that he claimed were by world-renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.

As part of the probation piece of his sentence, Reese was required to pay $236,325 in restitution and fines within 120 days of his sentencing, which would have been on Jan. 12. He was also to complete 100 hours of community service.

In May, Reese’s probation officer reported that those aspects of his probation had not been met. At the time, he still owed $182,258 in restitution and $50,000 in fines and had made no progress in completing his community service.

That led to a hearing Tuesday in a federal courtroom in Reading in front of U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl about whether Reese’s probation should be revoked.

During the hearing prosecutors gave an update on Reese’s status, noting that he had made more payments since the probation report was filed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren R. Baer said Reese has an outstanding balance of about $92,133. He has fully paid the $143,125 restitution to the victim in the case.

He has yet to pay $42,133 in restitution to the FBI and the $50,000 fine levied on him by the court, the prosecutor said.

Baer added that none of his community service hours have been complete.

The impetus for the probation report, Baer said, was when Reese unilaterally canceled a contract with an auctioneering company he and the government had agreed to hire to sell Reese’s possessions in order to pay what he owed.

“To the government, that was unacceptable,” Baer said.

Reese, who appeared at the hearing without an attorney, defended his actions, saying the company was not equipped to sell his valuable antiques and artwork. Instead, he said, the company specializes in liquidating assets.

“I lost a lot because they were not antique auctioneers,” he said.

Reese said he originally agreed to use the company because he could not find another that would work with him. He added that he has since hired a firm more attuned to his needs.

Reese also said he recently sold seven pieces privately for around $60,000, which allowed him to make his recent restitution payments.

As for his remaining balance, Reese said he has other sales lined up and has put his house and another piece of property on the market. Those should easily cover the remainder of what he’s owed, he said.

“It’s been very difficult,” Reese said of raising the funds for restitution and fines.

Reese also said he hopes to begin his community service this weekend, having connected with a golden retriever rescue in Lancaster County. The delay in addressing the community service came from several local nonprofit organizations telling him their insurance would not cover someone of his age, he claimed.

Schmehl expressed optimism over Reese’s recent payments.

“The important thing is the victims got paid,” the judge said. “They should have been paid earlier, but they’re paid now.”

Schmehl decided to leave Reese’s case open for 60 days, giving him a chance to further contribute to his restitution and fines and to begin community service. At that time the judge will review his progress and make a determination on his probation.