The painting was stolen by a group of men with the help of a former New Jersey politician state Sen. Anthony Imperiale, police said
A painting possibly worth a million dollars that was stolen in 1969 by New Jersey mobsters had been returned to the family of its rightful owners, the FBI said Friday .
The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office said that John Opie’s painting “The Schoolmistress” is now in the possession of Dr. Francis Wood, 96, of Newark, whose father bought the piece in the 1930s for $7,500 and owned it until the robbery 55 years ago.
Police said that burglars originally entered the Wood family home in 1969 hoping to steal a coin collection but were unable to. Police and former New Jersey politician state Sen. Anthony Imperiale responded to the scene, where someone working at Wood’s home told Imperiale that inside was a priceless Opie painting.
Imperiale then allegedly orchestrated another robbery a month later to get his hands on the painting. One of the thieves came clean about the scheme six years later and said he and the others were following Imperiale’s orders. He said Imperiale had the painting, but those claims were never verified and the politician was never charged.