Father and daughter plead guilty to selling fake Picasso and Banksy works – National
A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to fraud and operating a global counterfeiting scheme that sold millions of dollars worth of fake works, passed off as originals by Picasso, Warhol and Banksy, at auction houses and galleries.
Erwin Bankowski, 50, and his daughter Karolina Bankowska, 26, commissioned a Polish artist to make hundreds of fake paintings of famous artists and defrauded industry experts of US$2 million, New York prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday.
“For years, these defendants painted themselves as purveyors of fine art while selling fakes on canvas to unsuspecting collectors,” said Joseph Nocella Jr., United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“Today’s beliefs peel back the varnish and reveal the fraud underneath.”
Between 2020 and 2025, the defendants conspired to sell more than 200 counterfeit works of art they claimed were painted by renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Banksy, Raymond Staprans, Richard Mayhew and Native American artist Fritz Scholder.
A forgery attributed to Raimond Staprans sold for $60,000.
DOJ USAO Eastern District of New York
As part of the scheme, the daughter-in-law fabricated the identity of some of the fake works as belonging to private individuals, artists’ associations, closed galleries or private collections of defunct companies, prosecutors said.
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Their most lucrative forgery, named Mayhew, was sold by the DuMouchelles auction house last October for $160,000, the Associated Press reported.
Several other auction houses targeted in the scheme, including Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s and Antique Arena, declined to respond or did not respond to AP inquiries.
Global News has not independently verified the claims by the auction houses in question.
“These two people don’t just sell fake art – they undermine trust, they exploit consumers, and they try to profit by fraud,” explained FBI Assistant Director James C. Barnacle.
“This time, the FBI, and its partners, have made it clear that those who manipulate the market for their own gain will be caught and held accountable.”
The defendants chose defunct galleries and companies, making it difficult for buyers to verify the origin of the fake works, lawyers said.
The two went so far as to forge certificates of authenticity on some of the fakes, using old books to print custom stamps, which they attached to fake paintings.
The defendants then sent the fake art to galleries and auctions across the US, where they tried to sell the works to buyers for as much as $160,000, the statement said.
A Forgery Work Purporting to be Andy Warhol Sold for $5,500.
DOJ USAO Eastern District of New York
In court Tuesday, Bankowska told the judge that “his behavior was wrong and I am guilty.” His attorney, Todd Spodek, said his client deposited more than $1 million into an escrow account.
Through a Polish interpreter, Bankowski also apologized. His attorney, Jeffrey Chabrowe, added that his client “sadly made a bad decision in an effort to support his family.”
Both father and daughter face more than three years in prison, plus $1.9 million in restitution and the possibility of deportation to Poland.
— via files from The Associated Press
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