Story perspectives

Bankowski Couple Pleads Guilty to $2 M Fake Art Scam

5/1/2026

Summary

Bankowski Art Fraud

Erwin Bankowski and Karolina Bankowska pleaded guilty to fraud selling fake art, costing victims $2 million and requiring $1.9 million in restitution.
They sold 200 forged works falsely credited to Warhol, Picasso, Banksy and others, pricing them up to $160,000 each to galleries.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr., FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle and Assistant Director Doug Ault condemned the fraud, warned manipulators will be caught, noting it stole from Native artists.

Summary

Rogal Reexamines

Dealer Robert Rogal re-examined the forged works in a Queens warehouse after the scheme collapsed.
The forgers used antique paper and forged stamps to make the fakes appear authentic.
The stamps bore defunct gallery names like M. Knoedler & Co., listed a zoning address discontinued in 1962, and showed a 1976 date on a counterfeit Wyeth painting, a mismatch later flagged.
Karolina Bankowska placed over $1 million in escrow, according to her lawyer.

History

Historical Context

In 1985, British artist John Myatt, facing financial strain, began painting copies marketed as “genuine fakes.” Collector John Drewe bought them, forged provenance, and sold roughly 200 works through auction houses such as Christie's, earning about £1.8 million. The scandal prompted tighter provenance checks that now shape modern globally art-market investigations today.

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Bankowski Art Fraud

Erwin Bankowski and Karolina Bankowska pleaded guilty to fraud selling fake art, costing victims $2 million and requiring $1.9 million in restitution.
They sold 200 forged works falsely credited to Warhol, Picasso, Banksy and others, pricing them up to $160,000 each to galleries.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr., FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle and Assistant Director Doug Ault condemned the fraud, warned manipulators will be caught, noting it stole from Native artists.

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