Joe Hernandez
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The con was led by a 77-year-old German man from Bavaria with the help of 10 accomplices, according to the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office.
Investigators say they discovered the fraud when the main suspect tried to sell two artworks supposedly made by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.
The unnamed ringleader also allegedly tried to sell a copy of a world-famous painting known as the Syndics by the Dutch master Rembrandt, even though it's currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Other forgeries seized by police included phony works by Frida Kahlo, Peter Paul Rubens, and Amadeo Modigliani.
Authorities say they confiscated a number of forgeries during a series of raids in Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein earlier this month.
The discovery was confirmed this week by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland.
It was given the mosquitoes by an insect enthusiast who found them on a farm north of Reykjavik.
The only place in the world now believed to have no mosquitoes is Antarctica.
Officials at the Iceland Institute say the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight and appear to be able to withstand the Nordic country's climate.
They say the mosquitoes are just one of a number of new insect species discovered in Iceland in recent years due to warming temperatures and the growth of international transportation.
There are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but authorities say the one found in Iceland isn't considered dangerous to humans.
Much of the East Coast is feeling the effects of the system, including rain, strong winds, and the potential for flooding.
The National Weather Service says wind gusts over 55 miles per hour are possible across the Mid-Atlantic and into southern New England.
According to forecasters, the storm is creating especially hazardous conditions along the shore, including rip currents.
Major coastal flooding is also a concern from Virginia to New Jersey.
At least one town in Delaware was under a voluntary evacuation order due to the threat of coastal floods.
The storm is also hampering air travel.