politics
New Jersey Father and Daughter Plead Guilty to Forging Artworks by Warhol, Banksy and Picasso
A father and daughter from New Jersey admitted in court to running a counterfeiting scheme that defrauded art buyers of at least $2 million. They commissioned over 200 fake paintings and sold them through prominent auction houses. The pair face prison time, restitution and possible deportation.
Apr 29, 11:35 PM·2m read1 source
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Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, pleaded guilty in a New York court to running a counterfeiting scheme that tricked art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings. The scheme involved reproductions of works by artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy and Pablo Picasso.
Federal prosecutors said the pair commissioned an artist in Poland to create at least 200 fake paintings, defrauding buyers of at least $2 million.
The counterfeits targeted lesser-known works by prominent artists. A fake painting purportedly by Richard Mayhew sold at auction house DuMouchelles in October 2025 for $160,000. A representative for DuMouchelles stated they cooperated with federal authorities.
Auction houses involved in the scheme included Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s and Antique Arena. A fake Andy Warhol work was sold for $5,500. The pair began commissioning the Polish artist in 2020, using antique paper and forged stamps of since-shuttered galleries.
In March 2023, representatives for artist Raimonds Staprans learned of a forged painting titled Triple Boats for sale by an auction house. The forged Triple Boats painting sold to a buyer for $60,000 a few days after the auction house was contacted. The gallery stamp on the back of a faked Wyeth painting listed its year as 1976 but included a zoning address number phased out in 1962.
Bankowski and Bankowska, Polish citizens living in New Jersey, apologized in a New York court on April 29, 2026. They face charges of wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresenting Native American-produced goods, stemming from duplication of Luiseño artist Fritz Scholder. 9 million in restitution and possible deportation to Poland.
