the fakes. On October 27, the judge announced that the sides had reached a deal, and terminated the proceedings, dismissing almost 200 prosecution witnesses and outraging police investigators. In a long, ramblingly theatrical, confession, Beltracchi described his youthful indulgences in "drugs and rock 'n' roll," attacked the "greed"  and "arrogance" of the art market, and admitted that the deception had been "great fun." In our interview after the trial, he gleefully confessed to dashing off many of his multi-million-dollar forgeries in "three or four hours, and sometimes even faster." "It was an incredibly vain performance," says Sontheimer. "The guy is a total egomaniac." In return for admitting in court to having forged 14 paintings, Wolfgang and Helene received jail terms of just six and four years, respectively, with time off for good behavior. Providing they remain gainfully employed, they will be confined to prison only at night. It was a light punishment for a crime of this magnitude. The Beltracchis smiled and embraced after receiving their sentences, and thanked the court. Schulte-Kellinghaus received a five-year sentence with the same nights-only incarceration deal that the Beltracchis had; Spurzem was given 21 months, suspended. "What they did was criminal -- it's a fact," says the Beltracchis' daughter, Franziska. "But I think they didn't really hurt anybody. They took money for pictures that people wanted. Maybe now they're not worth anything, but they still got the picture. I don't think it's fair that they went to jail." Allonge, irate, boycotted the sentencing. Today,