US father and daughter admit selling fake Picasso and Banksy works, duping art world

A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings of works by prominent artists such as Andy Warhol, Banksy and Pablo Picasso. Federal prosecutors said Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, commissioned an artist in Poland to create at least 200 of the fakes and ultimately defrauded buyers of at least $2m. The counterfeits were often reproductions of lesser-known works by prominent and prolific artists, prosecutors said. The most profitable fake – purportedly by artist Richard Mayhew – was sold by auction house DuMouchelles last October for $160,000. Detail of the counterfeit passed off as a Mayhew. Photograph: US attorney’s office A representative for DuMouchelles said they had cooperated with federal authorities but were not authorised to discuss the sale further. Several other auction houses targeted in the scheme – including Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s and Antique Arena – either declined or did not respond to inquiries. Both father and daughter apologised in a New York court on Tuesday for the scheme. They face the possibility of more than three years in prison under federal guidelines, in addition to $1.9m in restitution and possible deportation to Poland. Bankowska told a judge that her “conduct was wrong and I am guilty”. Her attorney, Todd Spodek, said his client had placed more than $1m in an escrow account. …