Father and daughter plead guilty to selling fake Picasso and Banksy works – National

A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to wire fraud and operating a global counterfeiting scheme that sold millions of dollars’ worth 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 hundreds of fake paintings of lesser-known works by famous painters and defrauded industry professionals out of US$2 million, New York prosecutors said in a statement Tuesday.

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“For years, these defendants painted themselves as purveyors of fine art while selling lies on canvas to unsuspecting collectors,” Joseph Nocella Jr., United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, stated.

“Today’s convictions strip away the varnish and reveal the fraud underneath.”

Between 2020 and 2025, the defendants conspired to auction more 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.

As part of the scheme, the father-daughter duo fabricated ownership histories to claim that some of the forged works had belonged to private collectors, individuals associated with the artists, now-closed art galleries or the private collections of corporations that were no longer 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 in the scheme, including Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s and Antique Arena, either declined to respond or did not respond to AP inquiries.

Global News did not independently verify the claims with the auction houses in question.

“These two individuals didn’t just sell counterfeit art – they undermined trust, exploited buyers, and attempted to profit from fraud,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle explained.

“In this instance, the FBI, with its partners, has made it clear that those who manipulate the market for personal gain will be caught and held accountable.”

The defendants chose galleries and companies that were no longer operational, making it harder for potential buyers to verify the origin of the counterfeit works, lawyers also said.

The duo went so far as to forge certificates of authenticity for some of the counterfeits, using antique books to imprint custom-made stamps, which they then attached to the forged 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 up to $160,000, the statement says.

In court on Tuesday, Bankowska told a judge that her “conduct was wrong and I am guilty.” Her attorney, Todd Spodek, said his client had placed more 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.”

Both father and daughter are facing more than three years in prison, as well as $1.9 million in restitution and the possibility of deportation to Poland.

— with files from The Associated Press

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