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| Fake: Forgery, Lies, & eBay | 
 enlarge | Author: Kenneth Walton
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $3.48
You Save: $18.47 (84%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $1.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  (19 reviews)
Sales Rank: 796028
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 1416907114
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.163
EAN: 9781416907114
ASIN: 1416907114
Publication Date: April 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
It was the golden age of eBay. Optimistic bidders went online to the world's largest flea market in droves, ready to spend cash on everything from garden gnomes to Mercedes convertibles. Among them were art collectors willing to spend big money on unseen paintings, hoping to buy valuable pieces of art at below-market prices. EBay also attracted the occasional con artist unable to resist the temptation of abusing a system that prided itself on being "based on trust." Kenneth Walton -- once a lawyer bound by the ethics of his profession to uphold the law -- was seduced by just such a con artist and, eventually, became one himself. Ripped from the headlines of the New York Times, the first newspaper to break the story, Fake describes Walton's innocent beginnings as an online art-trading hobbyist and details the downward spiral of greed that ultimately led to his federal felony conviction. What started out as a satisfying exercise in reselling thrift store paintings for a profit in order to pay back student loans and mounting credit card debt soon became a fierce addiction to the subtle deception of luring unsuspecting bidders into overpaying for paintings of questionable origins. In a landscape peopled with colorful eccentrics hoping to score museum-quality paintings at bargain prices, Walton entered into a partnership with Ken Fetterman, an unslick (yet somehow very effective) con man. Over the course of eighteen months they managed to take in hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling forged paintings and bidding on their own auctions to drive up the prices. When their deception was discovered and made international headlines, Walton found himself stalked by reporters and federal agents while Fetterman went on the lam, sparking a nationwide FBI manhunt. His elaborate game of cat and mouse lasted nearly three years, until the feds caught up with him after a routine traffic violation and brought him to justice. In this sensational story of the seductive power of greed, Kenneth Walton breaks his silence for the first time and, in his own words, details the international scandal that forever changed the way eBay does business.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 A true story the reveals the redeeming power of honest confession and regret... and the building of character. October 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Kenneth Walton's book is a can't-put-down revelation of true character growth.
In the beginning, he describes himself as nothing more than a shallow, run-of-the-mill law school graduate who -- after only a year on the job -- was already desperate to escape his boring daily grind as just another faceless attorney at a large Sacramento law firm. I've known many young, newly-minted professionals (accountants, doctors, lawyers) in the same predicament: After investing years in their educations and taking on crushing student loans, they finally graduate and are suddenly faced with the reality of the inhuman hours, incredible stress, and limited options inherent in working for a large, traditional institution (as the author discovers, such big law firms are always the same, whether located in Sacramento or Paris). At that point, many start to desperately seek a way -- any way -- out of the madness. I know a couple of former corporate attorneys who are now much happier working at other jobs (rafting guide, truck driver) that have nothing whatsoever to do with the law...
Unfortunately for the young Mr. Walton, he didn't choose at that point to simply abandon the practice of law and run away to become an honest cowboy, fireman, plumber, Starbucks barrista, etc. Instead, he unhappily struggled on. Soon, his sad career plight was noticed by the slyly experienced Mr. Fetterman, who proceeded to milk Mr. Walton's desperation into a slippery plan to assist him in his lucrative eBay con games. However, since any successful con game depends on the greed and deception (especially self-deception) of BOTH the conner and the connee, Mr. Walton convinced himself to continue compromising his principles by acting as an eBay shill. He sank slowly ever deeper into his moral quagmire, mainly by choosing to adopt a Sgt Schultz outlook ("I know nothing... NOTHING!") towards the whole stinking mess. Eventually, the young lawyer gives up even that flimsy charade and commits a single act of deliberate forgery that explodes on eBay in a truly unforgettable manner.
Kenneth Walton is a wonderful storyteller. His clear prose and spare style move his tale of self-deception right along. I can't recall any other memoir that has impressed me so much for its sheer readability, and the honest and painful regret that is eventually expressed.
The real payoff (for both the author and reader) is in witnessing the amount of redeeming character growth which is experienced. In the end, he doesn't whine or complain about being treated unfairly, or try to justify his nefarious behavior. Rather, after finally coming clean, facing the music, making restitution, and accepting a felony conviction, Ken expresses sincere regret for his actions and the harm they caused to his victims (who were often working their own cons) and, most importantly, to his innocent friends and family members whom he let down (and who steadfastly stood by him as the saga unfolded). His denouement reminds me of the moral truth so forcefully expressed in the monologue by Danny DeVito's charactor at the end of the movie The Big Kahuna.
A great book!
Fake - Forgery, Lies, & eBAY August 13, 2008
This great analysis of the internet market over eBAY has been passed through the art lovers in our family. Their response has been very interesting, indeed !
book far more intresting than title April 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Someone had recommended this book to me as a "good read". really didn't even know why I bought the book as I thought reading about ebay would be totally boring. Well I was wrong. The book sat on a shelf at my home for 3 months before I even opened the cover. Couldn't sleep one night and picked the book and started to read. I honestly couldn't put it down until I had finished from cover to cover. It is a great story and well written by the author. Whether you don't care about art or even Ebay this is an interesting story written in such a way that you find yourself totally emersed in the deceptions of an art forger who gets caught and the story line of getting caught and punished in a court of law. This is a good read.
 a lawyer and a snitch... March 30, 2008
This "author" is a liar, a lawyer, and a snitch. If you think it couldn't get any worse it does: he thinks his writing is clever. Wait for his victim (Fetterman)'s book.
something for everyone July 9, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
My son picked "Fake" for our mother/son book club. The boys are sixteen; the mothers work in a variety of professional fields. No one was bored. Everyone finished the book, which is unusual. Discussion was lively and wide-ranging, even with the author present. I asked and he came!
Part of the charm of the book, the story and the man derives from our inherent hope that people can grow by surviving adversity, even self-made, or perhaps, especially self-made. Walton gives readers an engaging look at the California art scene and ebay, while allowing us to watch him decide what he will do next.
If he writes another book, I'll definitely read it.
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