A father and daughter from Poland living in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to defrauding New York City's art world by selling forged paintings. Karolina Bankowska, 26, and her father, Erwin Bankowski, 50, admitted to selling at least 200 counterfeit works, including imitations of Andy Warhol, Banksy, and Richard Mayhew, for over $2 million. The fakes were created in Poland by an unnamed co-conspirator and sold through prominent auction houses like DuMouchelles, Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s, and Antique Arena. The most lucrative sale was a purported Richard Mayhew piece, which fetched $160,000 at DuMouchelles last October. Prosecutors also charged the duo with misrepresenting Native American-produced goods, stemming from their duplication of Luiseño artifacts. The pair now face charges of wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresentation.
Crime
Father and daughter plead guilty to $2M art forgery scheme
Polish duo sold fake Warhols, Banksys to NYC auction houses
By The Unbiased Times AI
April 30, 2026 • 8:18 AM• Updated April 30, 2026 • 8:40 AM
Bias Check:
10% bias removed from 2 sources
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/ 2
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Narrative Analysis
How different sources frame this story
Unified Media Narrative
Where coverage converges
All sources uniformly report on the father-daughter duo's guilty plea, the scale of their forgery operation, and the involvement of major auction houses. The coverage consistently highlights the financial losses incurred by buyers and the sophistication of the counterfeit works. No significant divergences in framing or emphasis were identified across the sources.
This analysis identifies how media sources emphasize different aspects of the same story. No narrative is labeled as more accurate than others.
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Source Material
How a father and daughter duped NYC's art world with fake Warhols and Banksys
via abcnews.go.com
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