Weis, and Jan Fedarcyk—were enlightened enough to support art crime investigations, even when they weren’t a headquarters priority.
I never worked alone—it was always a team effort. And while no list of street agents would be complete, I would be remiss not to mention a few who were and are dearest in my heart. First is Stephen J. Heaney, a talented and dedicated investigator and my surrogate little brother, who always had my back when organizing undercover sting takedowns in Philadelphia. Thanks also to Special Agents Doug Hess, Pam Stratton, Michael A. Thompson, Jay Heine, Mitch Banta, Judy Tyler, Konrad Motyka, Sean Sterle, Alejandro Peraza, Gary Bennett, Chris Calarco, Eric Ives, Bob Bazin, Joe Majarowitz, Frank Brostrom, Cathy Begley, Brian Midkiff, Amanda Moran, Lou Vizi, Jack Garcia, Tom Duffy, Jesse Coleman, Al Bodnar, J. J. Klaver, Martin Suarez, Henry Mercadal, Vince Pankoke, Mike German, Jason Richards, Tim Carpenter, Jim Wynne, Johanna Loonie, Greg Johnson, Joaquin “Jack” Garcia, Marc Barri, Leo Tadeo, Ron Kozial, and Ron Nolan. In the front office, Jerri Williams, R. J. Saturno, John Thomas, and Ron Hosko were always friends and often advocates. At FBI headquarters, Lynne Richardson and Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, who managed the art-theft program, deserve kudos for trying to keep the program alive by continuing to stir the pot with managers.
Special thanks to my other comrades in law enforcement: prosecutor Maureen Barden, who taught me the ropes and also how to be compassionate; the trio on the jewelry theft gang case—prosecutor Chris Hall and police officers Edward Quinn and Jack Quinn—who taught me how to
I also wish to thank the civilians who helped me during my career—men and women who care deeply about preserving art and antiquities for future generations: Herbert Lottier and Mark Tucker of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Bob Combs and Wilbur Faulk of the Getty Museum, Ron Simoncini of the Museum of Modern Art, J. J. McLaughlin of the Smithsonian Institution, John Burelli of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dick Drent of the Van Gogh Museum, Dennis Ahern of the Tate Museums, Anthony Amore of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Milton Esterow of
To the world’s three best lawyers, Mike Pinsky, Bob Goldman, and Dave Hall: Thank you, counselors. I wouldn’t have accomplished anything without you.
Finally, to my friend Denis Bozella, whom I think about every day.
JOHN SHIFFMAN WOULD also like to thank Bill Marimow, Vernon Loeb, Tom McNamara, and Avery Rome in Philadelphia; Tom Mashberg in Boston; Vincent Noce and Aline Magnien in Paris; Eleni Papageorgiou in Milan; Blythe Bowman Proulx in Richmond; and Caitlin Lukacs and Brooke Shearer in Washington. Thanks also to my terrific writing and traveling partners, Bob and Donna Wittman. To Peter Franceschina,
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ROBERT K. WITTMAN spent twenty years as an FBI special agent. He helped create and was senior investigator for the bureau’s Art Crime Team. He has represented the United States around the world conducting investigations and instructing international police and museums in investigation, recovery, and security techniques. He is president of the international art security firm Robert Wittman Inc. Contact him at www.robertwittmaninc.com
JOHN SHIFFMAN is an investigative reporter for
Copyright
Robert K. Wittman is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please visit www.rhspeakers.com or call 212-572-2013.
Copyright © 2010 by Robert K. Wittman
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com
CROWN and the Crown colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wittman, Robert K.
Priceless : how I went undercover to rescue the world’s stolen treasures / Robert K. Wittman.—1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Wittman, Robert K. 2. Art thefts—Investigation. I. Title. II. Title: How I went undercover to rescue the world’s stolen treasures.
N8795.5.W58W58 2009
364.16?287—dc22 2009049083
eISBN: 978-0-307-46149-0
v3.0
Footnotes
1
This changed in August 2009, long after this case ended.
2
