The Guardian · US news · Original story
US father and daughter admit selling fake Picasso and Banksy works, duping art world
Pair apologise in court after being accused of defrauding buyers including some of New York’s most prominent fine art auction houses
A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings of works by prominent artists such as 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 of the fakes and ultimately defrauded buyers of at least $2m.
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Guardian staff and agencies · Wed, Apr 29, 2026, 8:35 PM
US news | The Guardian
Pair apologise in court after being accused of defrauding buyers including some of New York’s most prominent fine art auction houses
A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings of works by prominent artists such as 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 of the fakes and ultimately defrauded buyers of at least $2m.
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