James Kennedy, a Northbrook art dealer, was among seven individuals indicted last week in an international fraud ring.

James Kennedy, a Northbrook art dealer, was among seven individuals indicted last week in an international fraud ring.His attorney, Michael Mann, said his client was drunk and upset when he made the January call and hadn't really used any language that was directly threatening to Michael Zabrin, who was working undercover for federal authorities. Zabrin, an art distributor also based in Northbrook, was charged as well last week. But the judge quoted a passage from the undercover tape in which Kennedy threatened to beat up Zabrin."How about that language?" she said.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Nancy Miller noted that Kennedy faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted and that the scheme involved millions in losses. The ring sold fake limited-edition prints of fine art. To hoodwink buyers, they sometimes handed out certificates that purported to prove authenticity, but those too were fraudulent, authorities said.Miller said Kennedy already had been confronted by federal agents about the alleged wrongdoing when he made the angry phone call, a fact that Kendall said weighed on her decision to find him too dangerous to be released. Kennedy, who has been in custody since January when he was initially charged with threatening Zabrin, pleaded not guilty Monday to the broader fraud charges.