SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Jan. 26, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A “priceless” painting believed to be stolen by mobsters in 1969 has been returned to its rightful owner following a two-year FBI investigation.
An original John Opie painting, “The Schoolmistress,” was returned earlier this month to Dr. Francis Wood, 96, of Newark, New Jersey, after a 5th District Court judge in Washington County resolved the question of ownership.
The circa 1784 oil painting was sold as part of a Florida estate in 1989 and moved with its owner to St. George, where it remained until the owner’s death in 2020.
A Washington County accounting firm acting as a trustee for the late owner contacted the FBI in December 2021. The owner had hired the firm to liquidate his residences and personal property.
While appraising the painting for auction, it was discovered to likely be an original Opie stolen in 1969 from a private residence of the Wood family in New Jersey.
Wood’s father, Dr. Earl Leroy Wood, purchased the painting in the 1930s during the Great Depression for $7,500. During its investigation, the FBI discovered multiple criminal subjects who claimed responsibility for the painting’s theft.
On July 7, 1969, three men — Gerald Festa, Gerald Donnerstag and Austin Costiglione — attempted to steal a coin collection from Dr. Wood’s residence but were foiled by an alarm system, according to court documents.
Police and then-New Jersey state Sen. Anthony Imperiale responded to the attempted burglary and the home’s caretaker mentioned that the 1784 Opie painting was “priceless.”
On July 25, 1969, the same three men returned to the home and stole the Opie painting, according to the FBI.
During Donnerstag’s trial in 1975, Festa testified and confessed to the burglary, saying they had acted under the direction of Sen. Imperiale.
Before the burglary, the three men visited Imperiale’s “clubhouse” and were told exactly where the painting was in the home, according to Festa’s testimony.
Festa testified that Imperiale had the painting, but allegations against the senator were not corroborated and he was never charged. The FBI believes pressure from law enforcement resulted in the painting’s transfer to another mobster.
While the painting’s location between 1969 and the late 1980s is unknown, the FBI believes it remained in the hands of organized crime members.
In 1989, the Utah accounting firm’s client purchased a home in Hallandale, Florida, from convicted mobster Joseph Covello Sr., and the Opie painting was included without the new owner’s knowledge of its identity or history.
The client eventually sold the Florida home and moved the painting to St. George, where it remained until his death in 2020, according to the FBI.
Special Agent Gary France with the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office presented the painting to Wood on Jan. 11. The 40-by-50-inch Opie painting has a sister piece housed in the Tate Britain art gallery in London.
“It was an honor playing a role in recovering a significant piece of art and culture, and reuniting a family with its stolen heritage,” France said. “In a world where criminal investigations often leave scars, it was a rare joy to be a part of a win-win case: a triumph for history, justice, and the Wood family.”
