N.J. art middleman arrested in $190K deal had federal judgment

A New Jersey art middleman was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport before boarding a flight to Denmark, after prosecutors said he kept $190,833 from a canceled art sale. He already faced a federal lawsuit, a default judgment, and a civil contempt warrant tied to the same amount.

Andrew Foster, 38, was arrested May 28 before he could board a flight to Copenhagen, according to the office of Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw. Foster has been charged with theft, failure to pay New Jersey income taxes and failure to file a New Jersey income tax return.

New Jersey prosecutors said Foster acted as a broker between a buyer and seller in an art sale that was later canceled. Foster’s company, Genesis 8 Holdings, received $240,833 but allegedly returned only $50,000 after the deal fell apart.

“The victim alleges that multiple requests to have the money returned were ignored by Foster,” prosecutors said.

The artwork, buyer and seller were not identified in the prosecutor’s announcement. But the amounts and company match a federal civil case filed in 2022 by Artwide International H.K. Limited, a Hong Kong art trading company, against Foster and Genesis 8 Holdings over an unnamed painting.

Artwide alleged in the federal lawsuit that it agreed on behalf of a third-party buyer to purchase the painting for $133,333 from Foster and Genesis 8, who brokered the sale for a third-party owner. The company said Foster and Genesis 8 pushed for immediate payment by claiming the owner would cancel the deal without it.

Artwide said it first wired $107,500 to secure the deal, then later sent $133,333, inadvertently paying the full purchase price on top of the advance. The painting was never delivered, according to the complaint.

Instead, Artwide alleged Foster and Genesis 8 later demanded it sign a “Non-resell Agreement” before releasing the painting. The company said no resale restriction had been part of the deal, so it sought to cancel the transaction.

Artwide said Foster and Genesis 8 accepted the cancellation and agreed to provide a full refund but returned only $50,000 of the $240,833 they had received.

In November 2023, a federal judge entered judgment against Genesis 8 for $190,833 in compensatory damages plus $4,634.89 in prejudgment interest.

But the case did not end there. Artwide continued to try to collect on the judgment and later sought sanctions after Foster, Genesis 8, and nonparty Abraham Foster allegedly failed to comply with post-judgment discovery.

U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn held Foster, Genesis 8 and Abraham Foster in contempt in August 2025. The court later ordered Foster and Genesis 8 to pay $54,910.52 in attorney fees and $2,624.03 in costs and expenses.

In March, O’Hearn issued bench warrants for Andrew Foster and Abraham Foster, ordering the U.S. Marshals Service to arrest them and bring them before the court. The warrants were civil contempt warrants, not new criminal charges.

The federal docket reviewed by Urgent Matter did not show whether the airport arrest was connected to the federal warrant.

Foster was released after his initial appearance in New Jersey Superior Court in Mount Holly, according to prosecutors, who said the case is being prepared for possible indictment.

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