An 18th-century oil painting stolen by mobsters from a New Jersey home in the 1960s has been returned to the rightful owner after the work’s whereabouts were unknown for decades, federal investigators said.
The large piece, painted by the British artist John Opie in 1784, had been purchased in 1930 in London by Dr. Earl Leroy Wood for $7,500, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Three men with ties to organized crime stole the painting from the Woods’ Newark resident in 1969, according to the FBI. The three men initially attempted to steal a valuable coin collection from the home but were thwarted by a burglar alarm, the FBI said. They then returned nearly three weeks later and stole the Opie painting, the FBI said.
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One of the men admitted to the burglary while testifying during a trial several years later, the FBI said. He told the court they had acted under the direction of Anthony Imperiale, a friend of the family who had responded to the home following the attempted burglary, the FBI said. The home’s caretaker reportedly mentioned to Imperiale — who at one time served as a New Jersey state senator — that the Opie painting was “priceless,” according to an FBI affidavit.