‘Priceless’ original British painting stolen by mob found in Utah
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ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — In July 1969, an original 18th-century painting done by famed artist John Opie was reportedly stolen by mobsters out of a home in New Jersey under the direction of an allegedly corrupt U.S. Senator. 54 years later, that painting was found in Washington County, Utah and returned to its rightful owner.
It’s a story full of twists and turns, mobsters and alleged corruption, ripe for a screenplay in Hollywood.
“The Schoolmistress”
The painting, titled “The Schoolmistress,” was completed in 1784. According to the Tate, an art gallery located in the United Kingdom, the painting launched Opie’s London career when it was showcased at the Royal Academy the same year.
The painting shows a group of boys learning in a Cornish schoolroom. One child stands in front of the schoolmistress with an open book in his hand while the schoolmistress herself consults with an open book of her own. Several children can be seen in the background, one holding the paw of a dog.
It was painted using oil on a canvas approximately 40 inches by 50 inches. It has a sister painting housed in the Tate Britain Art Gallery in London.
“Opie’s painting combines a sense of acute naturalism and dramatic handling of light effects,” the Tate Gallery explains. “The artist apparently used family members as models for the various figures in the scene.”
Tate explained that the painting was “highly admired” when it was first exhibited in the 18th century and represented a challenge to established ideas about the legitimate subjects and styles of art.
The Theft
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, Dr. Earl Leroy Wood reportedly purchased the painting for $7,500 – or about $135,000 when accounting for inflation.
Wood’s New Jersey home was broken into in July 1969 when three men, identified as Gerald Festa, Gerald Donnerstag and Austin Castiglione, were attempting to steal a coin collection. Their theft was thwarted by a burglar alarm but they were able to get away.
The police and then State Senator Anthony Imperiale responded to the burglary to investigate. During the investigation, the home’s caretaker mentioned to Imperiale that “The Schoolmistress” painting was “priceless.”
Three weeks later, Festa, Donnerstag and Castiglione attempted their burglary once again, this time escaping with the painting, according to FBI Salt Lake City spokesperson Sandra Yi Barker.
The Twist
In 1975, during a trial for Donnerstag, Festa testified and confessed to stealing the painting but said he had done so “under the direction of Senator Imperiale.”
“Festa testified that before the burglary, the three men visited Senator Imperiale’s ‘clubhouse’ and were told exactly where the painting was in Dr. Wood’s home,” Barker explained in a press release. “Festa testified that Imperiale had the painting.”
Barker said the claims made against Senator Imperiale were never sufficiently corroborated and he was never charged for his alleged involvement. Investigators believe that law enforcement pressure resulted in the painting being given to another mobster. The FBI is unsure of where the painting was from the time it was stolen until 1980, but investigators believe it remained in the hands of the mob.
The Painting Resurfaces
In 1989, 20 years after the painting had been originally stolen, an unidentified man purchased a home in Hallandale, Florida. The home had belonged to Joseph Covello, Sr., a convicted mobster. “The Schoolmistress” was included in the sale of the home, though the unidentified client did not know its extensive history or value.
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The man eventually sold the home and moved, with the painting, to St. George, Utah, where it remained until he died in 2020. Just before his death, he hired a Utah-based accounting firm to liquidate his residences and property.
In December 2021, the firm acting as a trustee for the client appraised the painting, only to discover its true history. Special Agent Gary France of the FBI Salt Lake City Offices’ St. George Resident Agency took custody of the painting based on the alleged theft.
Agent France and the FBI Salt Lake City worked then to return the painting to its rightful owner – Wood’s son, Dr. Francis Wood who is now 96 years old.
“It was an honor playing a role in recovering a significant piece of art and culture, and reuniting a family with its stolen heritage,” said Special Agent France. “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.”
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