🎨 Mercer County father-daughter duo admit to selling over 200 fake artworks falsely linked to famous artists, raking in more than $2 million.
⚖️ Prosecutors say the pair used fake histories, forged stamps, and bogus certificates to deceive galleries and buyers nationwide.
🚨 Both now face up to 20 years in prison and nearly $2 million in restitution after pleading guilty in federal court.
A father and daughter from Mercer County pleaded guilty in federal court to running a scheme in which they created and sold over 200 counterfeit works of art by famous artists, totaling over $2 million in sales.
Mercer County art fraud scheme nets over $2 million in fake masterpieces
Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, both of Lawrence, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresentation of Native American-produced goods and products.
ALSO READ: Applebee’s contest reveals 8 of the most inspiring NJ teachers
From 2020 to 2025, the father-and-daughter team conspired to consign to auction over 200 counterfeit artworks allegedly painted by famous artists, including Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Banksy, Raimond Staprans, Richard Mayhew, and Native American artist Fritz Scholder, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nochella Jr., of the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, said.
Many of the works were made by an artist in Poland, the New York Times reported.
Counterfeit Work Purportedly by Raimond Staprans Sold for $60,000 (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of NY)
Counterfeit Work Purportedly by Raimond Staprans Sold for $60,000 (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of NY)
Fake provenance, forged certificates used to deceive art buyers
The two went to great lengths to make these pieces of art appear legitimate. They generated false histories of prior custody and ownership. They conducted research to falsely represent 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 the private collections of corporations that were no longer operating, authorities said.
This made it difficult for galleries and potential buyers to verify the legitimacy behind the histories of the artwork.
In some cases, the pair created and affixed fake stamps from art galleries to some of the counterfeit works, which they made by purchasing antique books to imprint custom-made stamps of forged certificates of authenticity onto aged paper, then attaching them to the fake artwork.
Counterfeit Work Purportedly by Banksy Sold for $2,000 (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of NY)
Counterfeit Work Purportedly by Banksy Sold for $2,000 (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of NY)
Counterfeit art sold through U.S. galleries and auction houses
They then delivered the counterfeit works to art galleries and auction houses throughout the U.S., which then attempted to auction them for sale to buyers of up to $160,000.
During the scheme, Bankowski and Bankowska defrauded victims of at least $2 million.
“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,” said Nocella Jr.
Father and daughter face prison and restitution after guilty plea
They face up to 20 years in prison and must pay back at least $1.9 million in restitution.
Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom
Significant or historical events in New Jersey for April (in chronological order)
Here are some of the historical or significant events that impacted New Jersey or happened in the Garden State during April. Is there an event missing? Let us know with an email to dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com.
