18th-century painting stolen in 1969 recovered in Utah

A 1784 painting by Britain’s John Opie stolen in New Jersey by a trio of convicted mobsters was retrieved in Utah and returned to the 96-year-old son of the original owner, the FBI announced Friday.

The work, “The Schoolmistress,” was first bought by Dr. Earl Wood for $7,500 during the Great Depression. His house was broken into in July 1969 by Austin Castiglione, Gerald Donnerstag and Gerald Festa, who stole the painting, the FBI said.

At a 1975 trial for another crime committed by Donnerstag, Festa confessed that the three mobsters swiped the painting and alleged that Newark City Councilman Anthony Imperiale was the mastermind behind the theft.

The future New Jersey state senator was never charged, the FBI said.

Festa, Donnerstag and Castiglione were convicted of other mob-related crimes before their deaths, according to The Associated Press.

In 1989, “The Schoolmistress” resurfaced when the Florida home of convicted mobster Joseph Covello was bought by James Gullo, who brought the painting with him when he moved to St. George, Utah.

Gullo was a “good-faith purchaser,” FBI Special Agent Gary France told The Salt Lake City Tribune and was not aware the painting had been stolen.

Gullo died in 2020, and in 2021 a Utah accounting firm in charge of auctioning off his assets contacted the FBI about the painting. Special Agent France took custody of the work and contacted Dr. Wood’s son, 96-year-old Francis Wood.

“He was completely shocked. … So many decades had passed that everyone involved in their family thought that this would never be recovered,” Special Agent France said.

Wood’s children found documents, including a presale document and a 1969 flier about the stolen painting. A Utah judge ruled the painting belonged to the family, and the work was returned and presented to Wood in New Jersey on Jan. 11.

The family is glad to have it back and noted that it has remained in good condition.

“It has one or two minor blemishes, but for a painting that’s 240 years old and has been on a roundabout journey, it’s in pretty good shape. Whoever has had their hands on it, I’m thankful they took care of the painting,” family member David Wood told AP.