A and B's spouse have not committed fraud. B's spouse lacks the required intent and A did nothing wrong. Of the rest, it is really a question of whether they have become part of a conspiracy to commit a fraud. I am sure this scenario would present some tough questions which could be resolved by extensive legal research and some investigation to fill in missing facts. For example, does the auction house have a duty to research its items before "listing" them in its catalogue (I would guess so, but I don't know). Is the fixer ("Party C") knowledgable about the chip collecting field? There are many issues to resolve before a conclusive answer can be given. I would not guess that the author (or publishers) of the reference guide could have any liability in your scenario, but I am not certain.

Michael Siskin