Removal Man Accused of Paintings Theft
January 30 2024
Picture: boston.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has very kindly been in touch with this rather curious story that has been published by The Boston Globe. A 'Junk-Removal Contractor' has appeared in court accused of removing over 100 paintings from the collection of Sam (late) and Sheila Robbins. The family had over the decades amassed a serious collection of American works, 80 of which were gifted to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem in 2016. The reports explain that a friend began noticing that parts of their collection had been appearing at local auction houses without the family's knowledge. It transpired that the works had allegedly been taken by a Junk Removal contractor, who had been previously tasked with removing some damaged property from the house.
According to the report:
“He didn’t have intent to steal anything; he was disposing of damaged property,” said McMahon, who compared Campbell’s business to 1-800-GOT-JUNK. “The contract had a provision that allowed Mr. Campbell, without prior authorization, to remove any items that were water-damaged.”
The Robbinses dispute that claim.
“If you’re implying my mother authorized someone to take away 100 valuable artworks, I would ask you to seek medical help,” said Jonathan Robbins, who estimated they paid Campbell around $30,000 for the entire job. “It was basically a basement clean-out and an attic clean-out. It wasn’t supposed to be anything of value.”
