A father and daughter from New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme that duped galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings purportedly by artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy and Pablo Picasso.
Federal prosecutors said Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, commissioned an artist in Poland to create at least 200 fakes, defrauding buyers of at least $2m. The most profitable forgery, falsely attributed to Richard Mayhew, sold at auction for $160,000.
The pair apologised in a New York court on Tuesday and face more than three years in prison under federal guidelines, plus $1.9m in restitution and possible deportation to Poland. Bankowska has placed over $1m in an escrow account.
Prosecutors said the scheme began in 2020, with the pair using antique paper and forged gallery stamps to lend authenticity. Sales drew scrutiny in March 2023 when representatives of artist Raimonds Staprans identified a fake painting, Triple Boats, which had sold for $60,000.
US attorney Joseph Nocella Jr said: “For years, these defendants painted themselves as purveyors of fine art while selling lies on canvas to unsuspecting collectors. Today’s convictions strip away the varnish and reveal the fraud underneath.”
