A 75-year-old Chinese artist and two other art dealers were charged for their role in a 15-year long, US $33-million art scam in the United States.

Chinese artist, Pei-Shen Qian, was charged along with two art dealers for his role in forging paintings by well-known artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.

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Formerly a resident of Queens, NY, Qian has since fled the country and moved back to China in what is believed to be an attempt to avoid prosecution and a possible 45 year jail term.

Jose Carlos Bergantiños Diaz, 58, and Jesus Angel Bergantiños Diaz, 65 - the two Spanish brokers who worked closely with Qian - are currently in Spain awaiting extradition.

However, as there exists no extradition treaty between the US and China, it is deemed unlikely that China will be willing to hand Qian over to the US authorities.

US attorney Preet Bharara referred to Qian and his Spanish allies as "modern masters of forgery and deceit" for their part in the scam, which began in the 1990s and lasted for over a decade.

Qian reportedly used old canvases and dabbed his forgeries with tea bags in order to ensure that they carried the authentic look of the originals.

During the period of the scam, Qian and his associates sold paintings to some of the oldest and most well-known galleries in the USA, among them the now non-operational Knoedler & Company.