John Tillmann

Tillmann in 2016 shortly after release from a Canadian minimum security prison

John Mark Tillmann is a notorious Canadian art thief who for over two decades, stole over 10,000 art objects from museums, galleries, archives and antique shops from various countries across the world, making his case possibly the largest art heist ever in total number of stolen works.

Eluding authorities for years, Tillmann was eventually arrested in January 2013, after extensive investigations by Interpol, The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, the United States Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).^[1][2][3]

Seizing over 3,000 artifacts from his home in the first week,^[4] police finally closed the file nearly three years later when returning over 10,000 exhibits to their respective owners, which included a 250-year-old George Washington spy letter valued at about a million dollars.^[5][6] A few weeks following the sensational bust, police simply ran out of room within their own storage facilities to house the enormous amount of artifacts which were being uncovered. A special climate controlled and secretly located warehouse, was then rented out by authorities to store Tillmann's looted artwork for the next three years. One of several private historical experts brought in by police to assist in the investigation remarked to the Toronto Star newspaper: ″It was incredible...to lay it all out would have taken an airplane hangar. It's an unbelievable collection of materials.″^[7]

The eclectic collection of items included an original medieval knight's suit of armour, a 7000-year-old Native American stone gouge, priceless oil paintings and watercolors, tapestries, rare books, sculptures, rare documents and a trove of other ancient and old miscellaneous items. Not recovered by authorities was reportedly a 5,000 year-old Egyptian mummy, which Tillmann's team had smuggled out of Egypt to Russia. Tillmann was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Canadian Court on September 25, 2013,^[8] and the court seized over two million dollars of his assets under the proceeds of crime legislation. This did not, however, include any property, artifacts, and bank accounts which Tillmann and his wife owned in Russia. Tillmann was released on parole in November 2015, after serving just slightly over two years of his sentence.^[1][9]

John Tillmann in Russia 1998

Early life and political involvement

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the 1960s, Tillmann grew up in the affluent Halifax suburb of Fall River. He was a major political organizer for the Far-Right Reform Party in the 1990s and was campaign manager for their party candidate in the federal riding of Halifax-West during the tumultuous Canadian election of 1993. At the time, Tillmann made national headlines for stating controversial views while strongly avowing White Nationalism.^[10] As a university graduate majoring in international marketing, he traveled to Russia in the late 1990s and lived in the Izmaylovo District of north-east Moscow for several years. While there, he owned and operated street kiosks and learned to speak Russian.^[11]

Art thefts

Katya Zhestokova at age 19, in partial disguise with hair dyed dark and with dark contact lenses in a passport photo

Tillmann married a Slavic Russian university student named Katya Anastasia Zhestokova, a native of Suzdal. They acted together in museum heists much like a Bonnie and Clyde type couple and later incorporated her brother Vladimir to the team, where they traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and North and South America.^[12] It is reported that he and his Russian wife would sometimes even take time out to have sex during some of their more risky heists.^[13] His team were regarded as criminal specialists, with Zhestokova acting as a distraction, her brother Vladimir being an expert in computer hacking and alarms disabling, with Tillmann being the mastermind and main organizer of the countless heists they performed. They were renowned for employing various disguises which included impersonating maintenance personnel, staff, security and even police on at least one occasion. Known for possessing Machiavellian intelligence and ability to blend into his environment, Tillmann was also reputed to be an expert at sleight of hand techniques, which he taught himself as a youth and which enabled him to be able to often steal artwork while disappearing without a trace, not being observed by either staff or security cameras.^[14] Said to be an abstract thinker with a high level IQ, Tillmann's sister in an interview with Canadian magazine Maclean's was quoted as saying; "The guy is a genius, that's the way he's always been ever since he was a child." In November 2001, Tillmann incorporated a Canadian company known as Prussia Import & Export Inc, which authorities believed was utilized in laundering large amounts of money that he and his wife were earning from numerous transactions in black market stolen artwork.^[15]

Referred to as one of the most successful thieves in Canadian history,^[16] Tillmann's case according to an American website is ranked as #6 out of the top 10 treasure hoards found in recent world history.^[17] The Toronto Standard made comparisons of his real life capers to that of famous Hollywood heist film, Ocean's Eleven.^[18]

Tillmann's case attracted considerable worldwide attention due to its scope and sheer numbers of stolen art objects. Even though Tillmann had cooperated with authorities while incarcerated, he steadfastly refused to disclose the identities of his wife and brother in-law and it has been reported that they have not been apprehended by western law enforcement, believed to be still living within the Russian Federation.^[19][20][21]

Two special prosecutors were tasked with handling the huge and complex legal case, with one of them remarking of Tillmann; "He was clearly intelligent enough to amass a false empire over years...and it's a shame ultimately for him and for society that he didn't use that to different ends."^[22]

One item in particular that Tillmann had heisted from a Canadian institution, was one of the most valuable books ever printed, a hundred and fifty year old first edition copy of Charles Darwin's epic book, On the Origin of Species. Valued at several hundred thousand dollars, the book was eventually tracked down by the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security and was returned to the Canadian government in a special ceremony at the Canadian Consulate in New York City in October 2015. John F. Prato, consul general of Canada in New York, praised RCMP and Homeland Security officers for their professionalism and co-operation throughout the Tillmann case. He remarked at the ceremony; "No two countries in the world have the relationship Canada and the U.S. have and today we honour two incredible law enforcement groups that worked hard and in partnership to recover this essential piece of history."

The couple celebrating at a Moscow Opera House in the summer of 2001 after a successful mummy heist in Egypt

In popular culture

Tillmann's case is credited as being one of the biggest treasure hoards uncovered in modern history, being included in a list of the top ten daring art heists of the 20th century.^[23]

The Canadian television program The Fifth Estate, aired a documentary on Tillmann in April 2016^[24] and there is talk in some circles of a movie being produced about his story.^[25] Referred to as a Canadian antiques smuggler by The Wall Street Journal,^[26] lead police investigator for the case was quoted as saying; "Stealing was how he got his thrills. He was a master of manipulation and I'm sure there will be movies made about this one day." He also referred to Tillmann as being smart, well dressed, very cocky and that his saga of theft and deception was truly remarkable.^[27][28] A museum and artifact shop owner in Eastern Canada who knew Tillmann personally for over 15 years, commented on his distinctive style: "He was sophisticated, wore designer labels. I called him Mr. GQ."^[15]

Life after prison

Tillmann signed a book and movie deal with Nimbus, a Canadian publishing company with the book scheduled for release in September 2018.^[29] Police and others have speculated that Tillman may have been able to successfully stash away large amounts of cash and artwork that has never been recovered.^[30] Tillmann's name has surfaced with possible links to the unsolved 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, in Boston, which was the largest art heist ever. ^[31] He is presently flagged on worldwide museum security bulletins and is listed on the official website of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Currently he is residing on a small island off the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada.^[32]

References