FBI Recovers 17th Century Reliquary Urn Stolen From Italian Church, Returns Sacred Artifact to Italy
BOSTON — Federal investigators have recovered a lavishly carved 17th century reliquary urn that was stolen from a small Italian church more than a decade ago, the FBI announced, marking the latest victory in an ongoing effort to track down stolen cultural treasures.
The gilded wooden urn, considered one of 17 ecclesiastical artifacts taken from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano between August 2012 and August 2022, was recovered on Feb. 11, 2026, from an antiques dealer based in the northeastern United States. The dealer, who had purchased the piece from another antiques dealer in Italy, voluntarily surrendered ownership so the relic could be returned to its rightful home.
A formal repatriation ceremony was held Wednesday in Rome, according to the FBI.
“It’s incredibly exciting when the FBI can recover a piece of history that carries such deep emotional and cultural significance,” said Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “This reliquary urn is a tangible link to intense religious devotion and a connection to the generations who lived and prayed with it. It represents the intersection of faith, history, and art—elements that are invaluable to the people of Italy and to humanity as a whole.”
The investigation began in the fall of 2025, driven by intelligence sharing between the FBI’s Art Crime Team, the bureau’s legal attaché in Rome, and Italy’s Carabinieri, the national military police force that leads cultural heritage protection. The Italian Ministry of Culture formally requested U.S. assistance in tracking down the stolen urn.
The artifact is registered in the inventory of Historical Artistic Heritage Items of the Italian Episcopal Conference (C.E.I.) and is protected by the Italian State under accords with the Vatican City State.
No charges have been filed in connection with the theft or the artifact’s journey to the United States. The FBI did not identify the antiques dealer who ultimately possessed the urn, saying only that the dealer cooperated with the recovery.
A future repatriation ceremony is planned in Rome, where the urn will be formally handed over to Italian authorities before being returned to the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano.
Continue Reading
Father-Daughter Duo Pleads Guilty in $2 Million Fake Art Scheme Targeting Warhol, Picasso, Banksy
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A father and daughter from New Jersey pleaded guilty Tuesday to running a sprawling counterfeit art scheme that flooded the market with more than 200 fake works attributed to Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Banksy, and acclaimed Native American artist Fritz Scholder, defrauding collectors out of millions of dollars.
Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, of Lawrence, New Jersey, entered their pleas in federal court in Brooklyn to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresentation of Native American-produced goods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced.
Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison and has agreed to pay at least $1.9 million in restitution, according to prosecutors. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis is pending.
“For years, these defendants painted themselves as purveyors of fine art while selling lies on canvas to unsuspecting collectors,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement. “Today’s convictions strip away the varnish and reveal the fraud underneath.”
From 2020 through 2025, the pair conspired to consign counterfeit artworks to galleries and auction houses across the United States, prosecutors said. The fake pieces were falsely attributed to artists including Warhol, Picasso, Banksy, Raimond Staprans, Richard Mayhew, and Scholder, a renowned Luiseño Native American artist.
To make the forgeries appear legitimate, the defendants fabricated detailed histories of ownership — known as provenance — claiming the works had been held in private collections of individuals linked to the artists, or in now-defunct galleries and corporations. They chose entities that were no longer operating to make verification nearly impossible, authorities said.
In some cases, the pair went further, purchasing antique books to create custom‑made forged stamps. They used the stamps to imprint false certificates of authenticity onto aged paper, then affixed the documents to the counterfeit works, according to court records.
The scheme preyed on unsuspecting art buyers, with some fake pieces fetching up to $160000 at auction. In total, the defendants fraud netted at least 2 million from victims across the country, prosecutors said.
“These two individuals didn’t just sell counterfeit art – they undermined trust, exploited buyers, and attempted to profit from fraud,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office. “The FBI with its partners has made it clear that those who manipulate the market for personal gain will be caught and held accountable.”
The case also drew sharp condemnation from federal authorities tasked with protecting Native American artists. Doug Ault, assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, noted that the scheme “steals from Native American artists and undermines the integrity of an entire cultural marketplace.”
Meredith Stanton, director of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board, praised the investigation, adding: “For those selling counterfeit Indian art it is important to know that wherever you are we will diligently work to find you and hold you accountable.”
