 The auction generated international headlines and, after a series of investigative reports by Judith H. Dobrzynski in the "New York Times" revealed that Walton was in fact an experienced art seller who had sold several forged paintings and worked with other sellers who bid on each other's items, Walton was banned from eBay, and the FBI launched an investigation into his trading activities.In April 2001, US authorities charged Walton and two accomplices, Kenneth Fetterman and Scott Beach, with bidding on their own auctions, the first-ever prosecution for so-called "shill bidding" on the Internet.Walton cooperated with the prosecutors, admitted he had forged Richard Diebenkorn's initials onto the painting that he had auctioned on eBay, and pleaded guilty in exchange for leniency.