A long-lost piece of art, taken over 50 years ago in a heist involving a New Jersey politician and Mafia members, has been rightfully returned to its Newark owner.
The painting, lost in 1969 and now deemed “priceless,” was recovered and given back to 96-year-old Dr. Francis Wood of Newark. It was Dr. Wood’s father who originally bought the piece. The art was returned on January 11.
The initial theft attempt on Dr. Wood’s family home in 1969 was disrupted by an alarm. However, it was former New Jersey state Sen. Anthony Imperiale, with mobster assistance, who reportedly orchestrated the painting’s actual theft. Imperiale had been a Newark City Council member when the alarm sounded, and an employee revealed the painting’s existence to him.
John Opie’s 1784 work “The Schoolmistress” depicts a teacher surrounded by students. Opie’s paintings are renowned, sometimes garnering nearly $1 million at auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Yet, this piece got tangled in a criminal plot when Imperiale allegedly ordered the three burglars—Gerald Festa, Gerald Donnerstag, and Austin Costiglione—to steal it a month after the failed attempt, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune.
The plot unraveled during a 1975 trial where Festa exposed Imperiale’s involvement. Despite this testimony and Imperiale’s ascent to the New Jersey Assembly and Senate and a run for Newark mayor, he was never charged for the crime. The painting’s journey continued, eventually landing in St. George, Utah, after being part of a real estate sale by Joseph Covello Sr., linked to the Gambino family.
The artwork’s odyssey concluded when an accounting firm, liquidating the estate of the Florida house’s buyer, had the painting appraised, and the FBI confirmed it as the stolen item. Special Agent Gary France from the FBI, who worked on the recovery, marveled at the painting’s history, “This piece of art, what a history it’s had,” he said. “It’s quite amazing.”
This turn of events highlights not only the enduring value of cultural artifacts but also the remarkable efforts to rectify the wrongs of the past, ensuring that justice, albeit delayed, is served.
(Photo Credit: FBI Salt Lake City)
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