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Federal prosecutors obtained a guilty plea on Wednesday from a father-daughter duo accused of selling counterfeit art purported to be from famed contemporary artists.
Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, are facing maximum sentences of 20 years in prison, as well as restitution of up to $1.9 million. Prosecutors say the pair were selling “lies on canvas,” going so far as to generate false ownership histories for the counterfeit works they sold.
“These two individuals didn’t just sell counterfeit art – they undermined trust, exploited buyers, and attempted to profit from fraud. 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,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle.
“From 2020 through 2025, the defendants, who are father and daughter, conspired to consign for auction over 200 counterfeit artworks. The Counterfeit Works were allegedly painted by famed artists,” the DOJ wrote in a statement.
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Those artists included Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Banksy, Raimond Staprans, Richard Mayhew, and Native American artist Fritz Scholder.
“To make some of the Counterfeit Works appear to be legitimate, the defendants generated false histories of prior custody and ownership, also known as provenance. To do so, they conducted research to represent falsely that some of the Counterfeit Works had been in private collections of individuals associated with the artists, had been owned by since-closed art galleries, or had been in the private collections of corporations that were no longer in operation,” the DOJ wrote.
“The defendants chose galleries and corporations that were no longer operating to make it difficult for galleries and potential buyers to verify the purported provenance of the Counterfeit Works,” the statement added.
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The DOJ says the defendants consigned the fake pieces to art galleries and auction houses throughout the U.S., which then attempted to sell them to buyers for prices of up to $160,000. Over the course of their scheme, the defendants defrauded victims out of at least $2 million.
The father and daughter — Polish citizens living in New Jersey — pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresenting Native American–produced goods, the latter charge stemming from their duplication of the Luiseño artist, Fritz Scholder.
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.
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Through a Polish interpreter, Erwin Bankowski also apologized. His attorney, Jeffrey Chabrowe, added that his client had “regrettably made a terrible decision in an effort to support his family.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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