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Stolen 18th Century Painting Returned to Rightful Owner After 54 Years

The artwork, stolen by mobsters and linked to a former New Jersey lawmaker, was discovered during an estate appraisal in Utah.

Special Agent Gary France, second right,, Dr. Francis Wood and Wood’s children stand next to the John Opie painting that was stolen from Wood’s parents' home in 1969 in Newark, N.J.,on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. The 18th-Century John Opie painting stolen by mobsters in 1969 with help from a New Jersey state lawmaker has been returned more than 50 years later, the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office announced Friday, Jan. 26.
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Overview

  • The painting, titled 'The Schoolmistress', was stolen in 1969 from the home of Dr. Earl Wood, who had purchased it during the Great Depression for $7,500.
  • The theft was believed to have been orchestrated by former New Jersey state Senator Anthony Imperiale, with the painting subsequently passing through the hands of various organized crime members.
  • The painting resurfaced in 1989 when a Utah man purchased a house in Florida from a convicted mobster, with the artwork included in the sale.
  • After the Utah man's death in 2020, an appraisal of his property revealed the painting to likely be the stolen piece.
  • The painting was returned to Dr. Francis Wood, the son of the original owner, on January 11, 2024.