A father and daughter in Recent Jersey have pleaded guilty to wire fraud and operating a world counterfeiting scheme that sold tens of millions of dollars’ price of forged works, consigned as originals by Picasso, Warhol and Banksy, to auction houses and galleries.
Erwin Bankowski, 50, and his daughter Karolina Bankowska, 26, commissioned an artist in Poland to create a whole bunch of faux paintings of lesser-known works by famous painters and defrauded industry professionals out of US$2 million, Recent York prosecutors said in a statement Tuesday.
“For years, these defendants painted themselves as purveyors of fantastic art while selling lies on canvas to unsuspecting collectors,” Joseph Nocella Jr., United States attorney for the Eastern District of Recent York, stated.
“Today’s convictions strip away the varnish and reveal the fraud underneath.”
Between 2020 and 2025, the defendants conspired to auction greater than 200 counterfeit artworks they said were painted by revered artists, including Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Banksy, Raimond Staprans, Richard Mayhew and Native American artist Fritz Scholder.
A counterfeit work purportedly by Raimond Staprans sold for $60,000.
DOJ USAO Eastern District of Recent York
As a part of the scheme, the father-daughter duo fabricated ownership histories to say that a number of the forged works had belonged to non-public collectors, individuals related to the artists, now-closed art galleries or the private collections of corporations that were now not in operation, prosecutors said.
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Their most profitable fake, purportedly by Mayhew, was sold by the auction house DuMouchelles last October for $160,000, The Associated Press reported.
Several other auction houses targeted within the scheme, including Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s and Antique Arena, either declined to reply or didn’t reply to AP inquiries.
Global News didn’t independently confirm the claims with the auction houses in query.
“These two individuals didn’t just sell counterfeit art – they undermined trust, exploited buyers, and attempted to make the most of fraud,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle explained.
“On this instance, the FBI, with its partners, has made it clear that those that manipulate the marketplace for personal gain might be caught and held accountable.”
The defendants selected galleries and corporations that were now not operational, making it harder for potential buyers to confirm the origin of the counterfeit works, lawyers also said.
The duo went up to now as to forge certificates of authenticity for a number of the counterfeits, using antique books to imprint custom-made stamps, which they then attached to the solid paintings.
The defendants then consigned the fake art to galleries and auction houses across the U.S., which then attempted to auction the works to buyers for as much as $160,000, the statement says.
Counterfeit Work Purportedly by Andy Warhol Sold for $5,500.
DOJ USAO Eastern District of Recent York
In court on Tuesday, Bankowska told a judge that her “conduct was mistaken and I’m guilty.” Her attorney, Todd Spodek, said his client had placed greater than $1 million in an escrow account.
Through a Polish interpreter, Bankowski also apologized. His attorney, Jeffrey Chabrowe, added that his client had “regrettably made a terrible decision in an effort to support his family.”
Each father and daughter are facing greater than three years in prison, in addition to $1.9 million in restitution and the potential for deportation to Poland.
— with files from The Associated Press
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