Fake Banksy, Picasso Works Slip Through US Auctions In $2M Art Forgery Case

A New Jersey father and daughter have admitted to orchestrating a years‑long $2 million art fraud that slipped more than 200 forged artworks into U.S. auctions. Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresenting Native American‑produced goods. The pair consigned fake pieces attributed to artists including Banksy, Picasso, Warhol, and Richard Mayhew, using fabricated provenance, forged stamps, and aged certificates to deceive collectors and auction houses. Produced in Poland, the forgeries infiltrated respected venues, with one Mayhew imitation selling for $160,000. Sentencing later this year could bring prison time and deportation.