Inside the FBI Art Crime Team: From Undercover Agents to Founders of ALI

In this episode, Paris and Andrea sit down with former FBI Art Crime Team agents Ronnie Walker and Dave Bass.

They share incredible stories from their time undercover, including recovering a multi-million dollar stolen pair of ruby slippers and bringing one of America’s most infamous art forgers to justice.

Now out of the Bureau, Ronnie and Dave reveal how their experiences led them to co-found The Art Legacy Institute, and what’s next in their mission to protect artists and their work.

A big thanks to Eva Bella for guiding the research for this episode.

Connect with Ronnie and Dave Here: 

• https://bsky.app/profile/artcrimeguy.bsky.social
• https://x.com/artcrimeguy
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-walker-b64953176/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-bass-97a11b297/

For More Information: 

Art Legacy Institute:

• https://www.artlegacyinstitute.org/ 
• https://www.instagram.com/artlegacyinstitute_org/
• https://bsky.app/profile/artlegacyinstitute.bsky.social
• https://x.com/artlegacy_org

Alitheon: 

• https://alitheon.com/ 

AWS: 

• https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/nonprofits/?ams%23interactive-card-vertical%23pattern-data--2066256937.filter=%257B%2522filters%2522%253A%255B%255D%257D 

Ruby Slippers Case:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/04/30/feature/the-case-of-dorothys-stolen-ruby-slippers/

Earl Washington Case: 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/18/arts/earl-washington-woodblocks-art-fraud.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE8.RkOq.-8-4beaBhG5o&smid=url-share