Jun 8, 2009 4:12 pm US/Central
Feds To Return Stolen Italian Artifacts
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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This is one of several items found in a stolen cache of valuable artifacts in Berwyn. Many will be returned to Italy.
CBS
The FBI says millions of dollars worth of stolen manuscripts and other antiquities found in the home of a suburban Chicago collectibles dealer are being sent back to Italy.
At a news conference Monday, FBI officials said some of the items date back to the 4th Century B.C. Authorities say the collection includes a document in the handwriting of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
The FBI estimated that the entire collection is worth up to $10 million on the black market -- much more if sold legally.
Some of the items were displayed at the news conference.
They were found in the Berwyn home of collectibles dealer John Sisto by his relatives when he died in 2007. Alarmed by both the quantity of items and their apparent historical significance, they notified the Berwyn Police Department.
"This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime things for law enforcement," Berwyn Police Chief Bill Kushner said.
Kushner says walking into the late Sisto's brick bungalow was like strolling back in time. The home was jammed with items including Etruscan vases, terra cotta figurines from the fourth century B.C. and scores of Renaissance-era paintings and manuscripts. There were also hundreds of books. One item includes a doctoral diploma from 1662 worth more than $500,000.
The initial investigation was conducted by Berwyn police. who in turn contacted the Chicago FBI for assistance. Members of the FBI's Washington-based Art Crime Team took possession of more than 3,500 items and began the exhaustive process of trying to identify and authenticate each. Investigators worked closely with the Italian Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Italian Ministry for Cultural Assets and Activities.
The investigation into the origin of the seized items determined most came from the Bari region in southeast Italy. Although it is still uncertain how the historical artifacts came to be in the Berwyn home, investigators believe they were secretly shipped to John Sisto by his father, Giuseppe "Joseph" Sisto, an Italian citizen.
The items were probably shipped beginning in the early 1960s until the elder Sisto's death in 1982. His motive for shipping the items was to have them sold by his son for a profit through his a collectibles store in Berwyn, the release said. Investigators also believe the elder Sisto obtained the artifacts by various means, primarily from third parties who would loot private collections, the FBI said. But it appears John Sisto was more interested in the historical value of the items, rather than their monetary value.
The origin and ownership of about 2,000 items could not be determined and will be returned to the estate of John Sisto.
Neighbors were stunned today to learn that the elderly man they used to watch tending to his lawn was secretly hoarding millions of dollars worth of stolen art.
"Whoa – that's shocking," neighbor Raul Quinones said.
"Maybe I would have liked to know him a little better," another neighbor, Gloria Saunders, said.
No criminal prosecution is planned in connection with the theft, transportation or possession of the stolen artifacts, the FBI said. The filing of criminal charges for violation of Italy's Cultural Property Laws is at the discretion of Italian authorities.
The Associated Press and STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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