August 21, 2015

The kind of brazen derring-do one might associate with the subjects of N.C. Wyeth’s paintings began playing out in real life two years ago, and now the FBI is seeking the public’s help to conclude a major art theft case.

According to an FBI press release, the agency is offering a $20,000 reward for information that helps locate two stolen N.C. Wyeth paintings: “The Encounter on Freshwater Cliff” and “Go Dutton, and That Right Speedily.”

The agency’s involvement began in June 2013 when the Portland, Me., Police Department requested its assistance after six N.C. Wyeth paintings were stolen from a businessman’s apartment there.

N.C. Wyeth was the patriarch of a Chadds Ford art dynasty that included his son, Andrew Wyeth, and grandson, Jamie Wyeth. The public can view many of his works at the Brandywine River Museum of Art; in addition, the museum conducts tours of the studios of N.C. Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth, both of which were also used by Jamie Wyeth.

In November 2014, after a lengthy investigation and a tip that the paintings might have crossed the country, the FBI in Portland requested assistance from the FBI in Los Angeles, the release said.

In December, the FBI’s Los Angeles Division recovered four of the paintings at a pawnshop in Beverly Hills. Three individuals, Lawrence Estrella, 65, of Worcester, Ma.; Oscar Leroy Roberts, 37, of North Hollywood, Ca.; and Dean Coroniti, 55, also of North Hollywood, have been charged in connection with the case.

Estrella pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property in February and was sentenced in federal court to 92 months in prison. According to court records, Estrella transported four of the six stolen paintings to California in an effort to sell them. Law enforcement officers in California located his vehicle in the parking lot of a North Hollywood hotel. Estrella’s room at the hotel was searched and a firearm was located, but no paintings were found, the release said.

Roberts, who used the stolen paintings to secure a loan from the Beverly Hills pawnshop, also pleaded guilty in February and subsequently received a sentence of 28 months in federal prison. Coroniti pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property in March and is scheduled to be sentenced in October, the release said.

The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and agents believe the remaining paintings are somewhere in New England.

“The investigation into the theft has been an active and aggressive effort, with law enforcement following leads and tracking down potential sources of information across the country,” Vincent B. Lisi, who heads the FBI’s Boston Division, said in the release. “I’m optimistic that one day soon the paintings will be returned to their rightful owner and we’ll bring those responsible to justice.”

Anyone who can provide information leading to the recovery of the remaining two N.C. Wyeth paintings should call the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324). Tips may also be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov.

 

Concord Township’s Government Study Commission began part two of its mission with a discussion on how the township might be sectioned into wards as part of a home rule charter form of government. Members also discussed the need for more money.

In July, the commission voted to recommend the township operate under a home rule charter and is now tasked with writing the document.

The Aug. 20 meeting was also the first meeting at the new time, 4:30 p.m. instead of the previous 7 p.m. start time. In addition, three members had conflicts and did not attend.

Commission President Jim Gray said the change in start time resulted because members of the Pennsylvania Economy League would start coming to meetings and they have a two-hour drive. Starting earlier is a way to accommodate them.

When asked whether the time change would prevent residents who work normal hours from attending, Commissioner Matt Houtmann said that the meetings would likely end about 6:30 and residents who want to know what happened could show up and be given a recap of the meeting.

When the year began, the commission had an operating budget of $20,000 but, with the commission likely to retain the Economy League for help in drafting the charter, more money is needed. The commission is looking to get an additional $100,000 from the supervisors.

The Economy League contract, if accepted, is for $68,000. There would also be $24,000 needed for the services of commission solicitor Mike Maddren.

A decision on the Economy League’s contract would likely be made at the commission’s Sept. 3 meeting.

Gray said the actual expenditure for the Economy League would likely be less since the league has indicated the township is much further along than other municipalities who call the league for assistance. He also stressed that the request for extra money would be worded to say, “not to exceed” the $100,000 mark.

During discussion on how the township might be structured under a home rule charter, Gray said he is imagining a seven-member governing body with one representative each from four different wards and three at-large representatives.

He explained that such a structure would allow every voter to vote for a majority of representatives. Voters in every ward would vote for their own representative, but also vote for three at-large reps.

Houtmann said he started with the idea of having three wards, but is moving toward four.

All is speculative at this point as there’s been no final decision. One of the challenges is to create wards with equal population sizes.

Commissioners also looked at voting precincts and questioned whether they would still exist if the township were sectioned into wards. Maddren clarified the matter, saying precincts would be for voting purposes, but wards would be for representation. There are currently 10 voting precincts in the township.

Initially, the only resident attending the meeting was Supervisor John Gillespie. That changed about 40 minutes into the session when Dan Levin, a member of Concord First, arrived.

Concord First is the citizens’ group whose petition drive last summer for a ballot question regarding a change fro township of the second class to one of the first class, spurred the township to have its own referendum on creating the Government Study Commission.

The group acquired enough signatures for the question to be on the ballot, but the petition was challenged in court. Concord First was denied, but they appealed to the state Supreme Court, which last month, remanded the case to Common Pleas for reconsideration.

While the commission was reviewing suggestions for a draft of a preliminary report, something not required, according to Maddren, Levin challenged the commission to make the drafts and written suggestions public. Maddren said that was not required, but that a final draft would be made public before commissioners vote on whether or not to approve the report.

Levin also challenged the members for not notifying the state Supreme Court that they wanted to withdraw an amicus brief and a petition to intervene that were filed in their names but without their knowledge and permission.

Gray told Levin that he and other members thought the matter was finished when the brief and petition were denied.

Maddren said the decision to take no action was based on his legal opinion. He said if that decision was wrong, it was his fault.

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 3.