A father and daughter from New Jersey, Erwin Bankowski and Karoline Bankowska, pleaded guilty in federal court on April 28 to running a counterfeit art scheme that sold fake works attributed to Andy Warhol, Banksy, Pablo Picasso, Richard Mayhew, and others. Between 2020 and 2025, they placed over 200 counterfeit pieces, many made by an artist in Poland, into galleries and auction houses across the U.S., defrauding buyers of at least $2 million. They fabricated provenance, forged gallery stamps and certificates of authenticity, and misrepresented Native American heritage works, violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. They face up to 20 years in prison, restitution of at least $1.9 million, and deportation after serving their sentences.
The case matters because it exposes a sophisticated forgery network that not only cheated collectors but also harmed Native American artists by undermining the authenticity and value of their cultural heritage. The involvement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service highlights the serious legal consequences for misrepresenting Indigenous art. The guilty pleas send a strong deterrent message about the risks of art fraud and the importance of provenance verification in the art market.