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How a Father and Daughter Fooled some of New York’s Most Prestigious Art Galleries with 200 Fake Paintings
The pair admitted to using forged provenance and counterfeit certificates to sell more than 200 fake works to auction houses and collectors.
- On Tuesday, Erwin Bankowski and Karolina Bankowska pleaded guilty to defrauding industry professionals of at least $2 million through a global counterfeiting scheme operated from New Jersey, New York prosecutors said.
- Between 2020 and 2025, Bankowski and Bankowska commissioned a Polish artist to create over 200 imitations, using forged antique stamps and fabricated provenance histories to deceive unwitting buyers and auction houses.
- Their most profitable fake, purportedly by Richard Mayhew, sold for $160,000 through auction house DuMouchelles, while a forged 'Triple Boats' by Raimonds Staprans sold for $60,000 before artist representatives identified it as counterfeit.
- Facing more than three years in prison, $1.9 million in restitution, and possible deportation to Poland, Bankowska told a judge, "Conduct was wrong and I am guilty." Bankowski also apologized through an interpreter.
- FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle stated the pair "undermined trust" and exploited buyers, while Professor Erin Thompson of City University noted, "The only unusual thing about this case is that the forgers got caught.
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How a father and daughter fooled some of New York’s most prestigious art galleries with 200 fake paintings
NEW YORK (AP) — A little over a year ago, the New York City art dealer Robert Rogal received a visit to his private showroom from a young woman, who seemed eager to offload a family heirloom.
·Syracuse, United States
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An American man and his daughter have pleaded guilty to setting up a forgery network. For years, they deceived art galleries and auction houses with forged paintings by famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Banksy, and Pablo Picasso.
·Amsterdam, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
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Two Poles living in the US have admitted that for years they possessed forged artworks by Andy Warhol, Banksy, and Pablo Picasso, among others...
·Antwerp, Belgium
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left4Leaning Right3Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
13%
R 37%
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