Former FBI Special Agent Robert K. Wittman, who headed the agency's Art Crime Team since its inception, travels a familiar path outside of the federal building in Philadelphia. Retired this past September, the former agent still will not allow photographs to be taken that show his facial features.
:Tossed onto a cheaply made table that was jammed into the corner of a unkempt hotel room, the rare oil painting's quality was evident despite the dim light and squalid surroundings. A gruff thief sat alongside it, seduced into the open and actively sought by police in connection with the robbery from which the painting went missing. The seedy hotel was a gathering spot of choice.
Two accomplices, who seemingly would have preferred to complete the transaction with their concealed semiautomatic weapons, fidgeted around behind their gang's leader, never taking their eyes off of the stolen painting or the man that they were about to trust to fence it for them. That man, probably someone the thieves should not have trusted, was undercover FBI Special Agent Robert K. Wittman.
"Yeah, its dangerous," recalled a recently retired Wittman in a nonchalant manner. Wittman, who was the senior investigator for the Art Crime Team (ACT), has traveled to more than 20 countries following up leads on stolen artworks. He is regarded as one of the most famous art crime investigators in the world today — nicknamed by his peers as a "modern-day Indiana Jones."
The above-mentioned painting, recovered by Wittman and ACT, joined a host of others in being returned to its rightful owners. The thieves, arrested by Wittman and ACT, joined a host of others as well — those behind bars in a federal penitentiary.
Wittman is personally responsible for the return of more than $225 million in art and antiques and has been instrumental in apprehending, prosecuting and convicting numerous individuals in these crimes. Wittman, who retired this past September after 20 years of service, is now free to discuss the stings, recoveries and events from his career as an FBI agent, or at least some of them.
"Criminals follow money. The crooks see the value of these antiques and they go where the antiques are,” says Wittman. He is personally responsible for the return of more than $225 million in art and antiques and has been instrumental in apprehending, prosecuting and convicting numerous individuals in these crimes. Wittman retired this past September after 20 years of service with the FBI.
Not all of Wittman's rendezvous fit the bill of a made-for-television miniseries, although he confesses that "75 percent were cloak and dagger — from shady back rooms to five-star hotels, to yachts and auction houses." Along the way, the special agent has "played roles as an authenticator, art professor and a very, very high-end buyer. Each role takes a different type of background, but there is a single common thread, an understanding of the business side of the world," he says with the smile of a man in the know.
How dangerous is it? Without batting an eye, Wittman responds, "The last three big heists I investigated were all crimes committed at gunpoint; in one case, when the individuals were captured, one of them had a hand grenade and machine gun. Yeah, it is dangerous."
There is an estimated $200 billion art market worldwide. Of that amount, the United States accounts for approximately 40 percent — roughly $80 billion a year, and within that figure, the criminal aspect accounts for an estimated $6 billion. "It is rated the fourth largest criminal activity in the world, behind drugs, guns and money laundering," says Wittman.
While the commission of art crimes is not all that prevalent in the United States, about $2–4 billion annually, America's involvement is still substantial.
