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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Guardian staff and agencies

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

Banksy United States Andy Warhol Erin Thompson New York
Counterfeit works allegedly sold by the US pair included by Raimond Staprans, Richard Mayhew, Andy Warhol and Banksy
The US father and daughter pair were accused of selling counterfeit works of artists including (clockwise from top left) Raimond Staprans, Richard Mayhew, Andy Warhol and Banksy.
 Photograph: US attorney's office, eastern district of New York

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.

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