User:TarkusAB/sandbox/Gardner

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft

User:TarkusAB/sandbox/Gardner2

Leads and persons of interest
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took immediate control of the case on the grounds that the artwork could likely cross state lines. They have followed leads around the world, among which several seemed credible.

Whitey Bulger
Whitey Bulger was one of the most powerful crime bosses in Boston during the era, heading the Winter Hill Gang. He claimed he did not organize the heist, and in fact sent his agents out in an attempt to determine who did because the robbery was committed on his "turf" and he wanted to be paid tribute.

FBI agent Thomas McShane investigated Bulger for his involvement. He determined that Bulger's strong ties with the Boston Police could explain how the thieves acquired legitimate police uniforms, or perhaps that real police were arranged to do the heist. Bulger also had relations with the Irish Republican Army (IRA). McShane identified the bogus tripping of the fire alarm ahead of the heist a "calling card" of the IRA and the rival Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Both organizations had agents in Boston at the time, and both had demonstrated capability in the past of pulling off art heists. McShane's investigation of Bulger and the IRA did not produce any evidence to tie them to the theft.

1994 letter to the museum
In 1994, museum director Anne Hawley received an anonymous letter from someone attempting to negotiate a return of the artwork. The writer explained that they were a third party negotiator and did not know the identity of the thieves. They explained that the artwork was stolen to reduce a prison sentence, but as the opportunity had passed, there was no longer a motive to keep the artwork and they wanted to negotiate a return. The writer explained that the artwork was being held in a "non-common law country" under climate controlled conditions. They wanted immunity for themselves and all others involved, and $2.6 million for return of the artwork, which would be sent to an offshore bank account at the same time the art was handed over. If the museum was interested in negotiating, they should print a coded message in The Boston Globe. To establish credence, the writer conveyed information only known by the museum and FBI at the time.

Hawley felt this was a strong lead. She contacted the FBI, who then contacted the Globe and the coded message was printed in the May 1, 1994 edition of The Boston Globe. Hawley received a second letter a few days later in which the writer acknowledged the museum was interested in negotiating, but had become fearful of what they perceived was a massive investigation by federal and state authorities to determine their identity. The writer explained that they needed time to evaluate their options, but Hawley never heard from the writer again.

Background
On January 15, 1990. Two people that looked like police officers appeared at the MFA and rang the buzzer. The night watchman went to go search for his supervisor, needing his approval to let anyone in, but by the time they got back to the entrance, the officers had disappeared.

Boston gangster Louis Royce had cased the Gardner Museum for theft as early as 1981. He was planning a heist with Richard Devlin during their time in the Rossetti gang. He wanted to rob the museum for money, not to secure a prison release or a plea bargain deal. In the early 1980s, he visited the museum several times and devised a plan. The plan was to light up smoke bombs during one of the concerts in Tuesday evenings in the Tapestry Rroom, and in the ensuing chaos, rush the galleries in the Blue and Yellow Room and make a quick getaway. The Blue and Yellow rooms were near the front entrance. One piece he really wanted to take was Lamentations Over the Dead Christ (Raphael, 1504). Royce and Devlin stole a cherrypicker and posed as members of an emergency utility crew. They rolled up to the museum and thought they'd be able to open the window and steal the piece. Once Royce noticed the window was locked, he waved off Devlin.

The FBI learned of Royce's interest in robbing the museum when undercover agents tried negotiating the purchased of art Royce and Ralph Rossetti stole from a Newton home. The FBI warned the Gardner Museum they were being sized up in 1981 by Royce and Rossetti. The FBI described Royce's plan of using smoke bombs, and also they may disguise themselves as police officers or women in distress in try to get in late at night. Also may have accomplice within who knows security system.

Royce was in prison at the time of the robbery. The FBI believes the robbery stemmed from Royce's original plan to rob the museum.

Immediate aftermath
Abath said one thief looked about 5'9", late 30s, slim with gold wire glasses and a probably fake mustache. The other looked about in his early 30s, 6' tall and heavier with chubby cheeks. Also a mustache. Abath did not like the sketches the police drew.

Several weeks after the theft, museum security consultant Steven Keller was called in to review the Aerotech motion detector equipment. He determined it was working just fine. Because of this, and Abath's conduct that noight, investigators have remained suspicious of him. 80%of major art heists involve assistance of an insider.

Abath was called before grand jury in 2010, where he continued to maintain his innocence. FBI have been watching his bank account. Abath's colleague JonPaul Kroger noted that Abath and other watchmen were trained to always take down names of police and badge numbers and confirm with Boston Police HQ before allowing anyone in. Abath was also unreliable, often late or calling in sick.

Door opening. Abath maintains that he did this routinely to make sure the outside door was locked. Some speculate it was meant as a sign to the robbers that they could begin their theft. Kroger explained that if Abath had truly done this on a routine bases, the computer printouts would have shown this, and supervisors would have detected it as a security breach and put a stop to it. Kroger maintains that the doors should always remain shut except in extreme cases like fire.

FBI took possession of all museum's security equipment and surveillance reports soon after robbery. In 2015, FBI and US attorney's office in Boston released video from night before robbery showing ABath buzzing in a stranger in what appeared to be a hatchback, and chatting with him at the security desk. FBI has not been able to identify the stranger. Abath told investigators he did not recognize the man and had no memory of the incident. In his investigative reporting, Kurkjian was told by several former museum guards that the stranger was Gardner's deupty security chief, Larry O'Brien. One security guard called in the tip to the FBI but never heard back. Those with ties to O'Brien also were never contacted by the FBI following the guard's tip.

By mid-afternoon, FBI had taken over investigation.

Perhaps the gueards were aware of the button and new to get Abath away from the desk.

Abath and his roommates had spoken often about the museum's poor security.

Investigation
Royce wants the heist solved and spoke with investigative reporter Kurkjian on several occasions. Royce shared his plan for the heist with others, and he believes he is owed 15% of the theft profits. Royce also suspects that maybe they were taken to get someone out of jail. But obviously that has not occurred, so now he wants them returned instead of unseen laying somewhere. Royce believes Stephen Rossetti may have ordered it, or passed on the score to someone who took it on. Other gang members who were aware of the plan have died.

Myles J. Connor and William Youngworth
Some time after the robbery, prison inmate Myles J. Connor Jr. told authorities he could assist in returning the Gardner works in exchange for the museum's posted reward and his freedom. Connor was a notorious New England art thief, having previously stolen a Rembrandt from the city's Museum of Fine Arts in 1973, as well as art from the Woolworth family estate. He was in jail at the time of the robbery, but told authorities that he believed the masterminds were criminals Bobby Donati and David Houghton. Connor shared that he and Donati cased the museum 15 years earlier, and that Donati took interest in the finial. Connor failed to mention if Donati took interest in the flag the finial sat on top of, contradicting evidence at the scene suggesting the thieves attempted to steal the whole flag. Investigators also challenged Connor on Donati's and Houghton's appearances which did not fit the witness descriptions. Connor suggested they probably hired lower-level gangsters to carry out the robbery. Both Houghton and Donati could not be interviewed as they died within two years of the robbery, the first from an illness, and the second was murdered. When investigators did not give Connor his demands, he suggested they speak with criminal William P. Youngworth.

In 1997, the FBI raided Youngworth's home, acting on Connor's word that he may be able to locate the Gardner works. The raid caught the attention of journalist Tom Mashberg, who began talking with Youngworth in July that year about the theft. One night in August 1997, Youngworth called Mashberg and told him he had proof he could return the Gardner paintings under the right conditions. That night, Youngworth picked up Mashberg from the Boston Herald offices and drove him to a warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Youngworth led him into the warehouse and to a storage unit with several large cylinder tubes. He removed one painting from its tube, unfurled it, and showed it to Mashberg under flashlight. It appeared to Mashberg to be the authentic stolen Rembrandt, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. He noticed cracking along the canvas and the edges were cut in a manner consistent with the museum's reports. Mashberg wrote about his experience in the Boston Herald, leaving out details to hide Youngworth's identity and the painting's location. He reported that his "informant" (presumably Youngworth) told him the robbery was pulled off by five men and identified two: Bobby Donati was one of the robbers, and David Houghton was responsible with moving the art to a safe house. The FBI discovered the location of the warehouse several months later and raided it, finding nothing.

The veracity of Youngworth's claims and the authenticity of the painting shown to Mashberg is disputed. Youngworth supplied paint chips to Mashberg for validation, and federal authorities reported that they were indeed from Rembrandt's era, but did not match oils used for The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. The way Mashberg described the painting as being "unfurled" has also been scrutinized, as the stolen painting was covered with a heavy varnish that would not roll easily. Federal authorities and the museum began working with Youngworth after Mashberg's story was published, but Youngworth made negotiations difficult. He would not work with authorities unless his demands could be met, which included dropping charges against him and releasing Connor from jail. The museum loaned $10,000 to Youngworth at his request to continue pursing the art, but it was never repaid. The United States attorney overseeing the case eventually ceased talks with Youngworth unless he could provide more reliable evidence that he had access to the Gardner works. Youngworth again provided a vial of paint chips, purportedly from The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, and 25 color photographs of the painting and A Lady and Gentleman in Black. A joint statement from the museum and federal investigators announced that the chips were not from the stolen Rembrandts, though they did test as being from 17th century paintings and could not rule them out as being from The Concert. Mashberg's account remains the most credible sighting of any of the stolen works.

Guarente and Gentile
New England criminal Robert Guarente and his friend Robert Gentile have been the focus of some of the FBI's investigation starting in March 2010. Guarente died from cancer in 2004, but the investigation began when Guarente's widow Elene Guarente began speaking with the FBI about her deceased husband and his ties with the Gardner paintings. She claims the FBI reached out to her, but the FBI claims she saw an advertisement looking for information and spoke up because she needed money. Before she gave any details to the FBI, she phoned Gentile explaining that she knew he was given the paintings and wanted his help in speaking with authorities. Gentile told Elene that he was never given any paintings, and knew nothing of the Gardner painting whereabouts. Elene told the FBI that when her husband got sick with cancer in the early 2000s, he organized a lunch date with Gentile, and her husband told her on their car ride home that he gave Gentile three paintings for safekeeping. Gentile called the accusations "ridiculous".

In early 2012, federal authorities indicted Gentile on drug charges after he sold painkillers to an undercover agent. Its likely authorities orchestrated these charges to provide them leverage to get Gentile to share what he knew about Gardner works. Gentile told investigators that he and Guarente had discussed the case casually, but Guarente never had any of the paintings or gave any to him. Gentile submitted to a polygraph test, in which he repeatedly denied any knowledge of the theft or location of the artwork, but the polygraph indicated that he was lying. Gentile maintained he was telling the truth and demanded a retest. During the retest he indicated that Elene had once pulled the small Rembrandt self-portrait from her bra and said it would help pay for her retirement. The polygraph machine indicated Gentile was telling the truth. Gentile's lawyer felt that the veracity of Gentile's claims were being affected by the pressure of an overwhelming amount of federal agents in the room. He organized a smaller meeting with only two federal agents in the hope that it would get Gentile to speak honestly. In the smaller meeting, Gentile maintained that he did not know anything, and would share information to get the reward if he could.

A few days later, the FBI stormed Gentile's house in Manchester, Connecticut with a search warrant. In his basement they found a copy of the Boston Herald from March 1990 with news about the theft with a piece of paper indicating what each piece might sell for on the black market. Gentile's son believed his father did not know the location of the paintings, but did reveal the location of a secret ditch beneath a false floor in the backyard shed. He explained that the ditch flooded a few years ago and his father was upset about whatever was in the ditch. The FBI searched the ditch but found nothing. The FBI pressured Gentile about the ditch but he maintained that he did not know anything. Gentile went to prison for 30 months.

After getting out of prison, Gentile spoke one-on-one with investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian. Gentile told Kurkjian that he was framed by the FBI and his life was ruined. He explained that he lost access to Social Security benefits and could was unable to visit his daughter before she died while he was in prison. When asked about what could have been in the ditch, Gentile could not recall but believed it could have been small motors. He gave Kurkjian the keys to his shed, and Kurkjian only found yard equipment. Gentile also explained that the list the FBI found in his basement was drawn up by a criminal trying to broker return of the works from Guarente, and was talking to Gentile as an intermediary to Guarente. The account was corroborated by an associate.

Guarente spent most of his time in the 1990s at his home in Waltham, near Boston, and the weekends in his other house in Madison, Maine. When in Waltham, Guarente frequented an auto repair garage run by Carmello Merlino in Dorchester, from where he and Merlino ran a cocaine trafficking operation. They were trafficking cocaine up from Philadelphia to New England. Maine police were aware of Guarente's trafficking activities and were monitoring him; they noted that criminals David Turner and Stephen Rossetti were frequent visitors to his Maine estate. Guarente was arrested in 1998 for trafficking, and released on probation in 2002, later dying from cancer in 2004.

David Turner
David Turner was an associate of Robert Guarente, whom he met sometime in high school.

In the months before and after the theft, the Massachusetts State Police were watching Turner because of his suspected involvement in trafficking cocaine through the Dorchester garage run by Carmello Merlino. In March 1990, just days before the heist, Turner drove to Florida to pick up a large amount of cocaine. On March 15, while in Florida, Turner's credit card was used to purchase hundreds of dollars worth in merchandise from shops the specialized in electronic equipment that could monitor police calls and determine if a person was targeted for surveillance. His credit card was used next on March 20 to rent a car in Fort Lauderdale. His signature was used but not his social security number. Someone other than Turner may have been using his credit card. Turner was back in Boston at least a few days after the robbery.

Merlino and another associate Pappas were arrested in 1992 for cocaine trafficking, but Turner was not. Pappas told authorities about Turner's involvement in several break-ins but did not mention the Gardner heist. Merlino asked Turner to try and recover the stolen paintings, but Turner said he could not locate them, only saying they were in a church in South Boston but he could not find them.

Despite his claims of innocence, the FBI believes he may have been one of the thieves. They think the other thief was his friend George Reissfelder who operated with the Rossetti gang. He died in July 1991. No clues were found in his apartment or the homes of friends and relatives, but his siblings recall a painting similar to Chez Tortoni in his bedroom.

Merlino organized the heist of an armored van headquarters building. Involved were Merlino, his nephew, Turner, Rossetti, and FBI informant Anthony Romano. The men were all arrested in a sting operation the morning the robbery was going to occur. Turner was convinced the FBI let the plot proceed so they could arrest Turner and pressure him for information about the Gardner paintings. He maintains he didn't know anything. They were all sent to prison in 2002 with long sentences over 30 years. Turner's expected release from jail is in 2025.

In November 2010, several months after first being contacted by Elene, Gentile received a letter from David Tuerner, serving a 30 year sentence in prison for trying to rob an armored car headquarters. Turner knew Gentile through Guarente. Turner was hoping Gentile could call former TUrner girlfriend to help in recovery of paintings. Gentile initially wanted to stay out of it, but decided it would be in his best interest to help, could get him out of the drug charges. With FBI working with him, Gentile spoke with the girlfriend, and she told Gentile that Turner wanted him to speak with two of his friends in Boston, both ex-convicts. One was Richard Gillis, who was associated with Rossetti crime gang in East Boston like Turner. FBI wanted Gentile to meet these men and an FBI agent to go with him, but Gentile did not want to cooperate.

'''In September 1998, FBI told Hawley that they knew who stole paintings. One in jail, one on street, one dead.'''

In November 2010, several months after first being contacted by Elene, Gentile received a letter from David Tuerner, serving a 30 year sentence in prison for trying to rob an armored car headquarters. Turner knew Gentile through Guarente. Turner was hoping Gentile could call former TUrner girlfriend to help in recovery of paintings.

Gentile initially wanted to stay out of it, but decided it would be in his best interest to help, could get him out of the drug charges.

With FBI working with him, Gentile spoke with the girlfriend, and she told Gentile that Turner wanted him to speak with two of his friends in Boston, both ex-convicts.

One was Richard Gillis, who was associated with Rossetti crime gang in East Boston like Turner.

FBI wanted Gentile to meet these men and an FBI agent to go with him, but Gentile did not want to cooperate.

Turner met RObert GUarente sometime in high school.

Tuner has been one of the FBI's key suspects. FBI thinks he may have been one of the thieves. Turner denies any involvement.

In the months before and after the theft, the Mass State Police were watching Turner because of his suspected involvement in a cocain trafficking operation running through Dorchester garage run by Carmello Merlino.

18 months after heist, Turner seen bringing "Chinese vase" into a Boston lawyer office. He frequently brought antiques in to sell to try and sell them to a friend in the office. The lawyer was later interviewed and said he did not buy the item and did not think it was from the heist.

Turner drove to Florida in March 1990, days before the heist to pick up a large amount of cocaine.

While in Florida, Turner used his credit card to purchase hundreds of dollars worth in merchandise from shops the specialized in electronic equipment that could monitor police calls and determine if a person was targeted for surveillance.

That purchase was made on March 15, 1990. Turner's signature on recepit.

Turner's credit card was used next on March 20 to rent a car in Fort Lauderdale. Turner's signature used but another SSN. Someone other than Turner may have been using credit card.

Turner was back in Boston at least a few days after the robbery.

Abath thinks Turner looked like one of the pair.

Merlino and Pappas arrested in 1992 for cocain trafficking, not Turner.

When Turner's associate Pappas was spilling the beans to police about Turner's involvement in some break-ins in 1992, he did not mention the Gardner heist.

Merlino asked Turner to try and recover stolen Gardner paintings. Turner tried to locate them but could not, only saying they were in the basement of a church in South Boston. Searches turned up nothing.

A week before Pappas was to testify against Turner for some home invasion charges, Pappas was murdered by two masked men. As he died, he told his girlfriend he believed Turner was behind it.

The woman in the Canton house did not testify in hear her boyfriend would be killed, as he was threatened.

Turner set free.

Merlino served his time for coke, began working on other schemes. FBI continued to press him to facilitate return of paintings if he knew anything.

The thief who died of drug overdose was rumored to be George Reissfelder, part of Merlino's gang.

No clues found in searches of his apartment, but his brother and sister told investigators they recalled seeing a painting similar to Chez Tortoni hanging in his bedroom.

Reissfelder looked like the older of the two thieves. He was friends with Turner, hung out in Merlino's shop.

Authorities ran searches of homes he or his relatives lived in, found nothing.

Reissfelder died in July 1991.

Merlino wanted to negotiate a return of the paintings in the 1990s.

Merlino organized the heist of an armored van headquarters building. Involved were Merlino, his nephew, Turner, Rossetti, and FBI informant Anthony Romano.

The men were all arrested in a sting operation the morning the robbery was going to occur.

Turner was convinced the FBI let the plot proceed so they could arrest Turner and pressure him for information about the Gardner paintings. He maintains he didn't know anything.

They were all sent to prison in 2002 with long sentences over 30 years.

Turner's expected release from jail is in 2025.

A New Theory, good summary
Of the FBI's top ten art crimes, only the Caravaggio stolen in 1969 from an Italian chapel is older than the Gardner heist.

Statute of limitations expired in 1995. Thieves and anyone who participated in theft cannot be prosecuted. Federal prosecutors have also said those who willingly return the items will also not be prosecuted.

The size of the reward and promise for immunity has baffled investigator as to why they haven't been returned.

Two theories.

First: artwork hidden, possibly buried, and those that hid it have since died.

Among the Rossetti gang, only those who were in heist or boss Ralph R or his nephew Stephen R might know who did it.

Also possibility artwork was destroyed while 45 agents investigated Boston immediately after theft. But FBI does not believe they were destroyed and gangsters have testified they rarely destroy items short of murder weapons.

FBI believes the theft was arranged in the Merlino Dorchester auto body shop. Artwork given to Guarente, who gave it to Gentile.

2002 Sale in Philadelphia doubted by Wittman.

Another anonymous FBI agent doubted Merlino garage ring. Merlino and GUarente were dead, and Turner and Gentile had both served jail sentences after rejecting offers to tell authorities what they knew about the paintings.

Two gangs
After Raymond Patriarca died in 1984, Gennaro Angiulo jailed, the Boston underworld became war ground for control.

Groups previously under Patriarca ring fought for control. One group from Boston' North End, Vincent Ferrara, J.R. Russo, Angelo Mercurio.

Bulger was also big in South Boston.

Frank Salemme released, Whitey ally.

Patriarca junior attempted induction ceremony from memebers of warring factions to try to settle it. Salemme's group and those controlled by Ferrara, Carrozza, and Russo.

After it was discovered the induction ceremony was compromised by FBI informants. Patriarca Jr. lost control and it became war.

Rossetti family loyal to Salemme.

A 1994 indictment resulted in arrest of more than two dozen members of both gangs and put stop to the war.

Both gang sides knew about Gardner Museum vulnerability.

Rossetti gang knew because of Louis Royce.

Ferrara gang because at least one memeber hung out with Connor who cased the museum in the 1980s.

Missing Motive
In early 2014, investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian wrote a letter to Vincent Ferrara to ask what he knew about the theft. In May that year, Kurkjian received a call from a Ferrara associate explaining that the FBI was wrong in suspecting the Rossetti gang's involvement and that Bobby Donati robbed the museum to get Ferrara out of jail. Ferrara could protect Donati in the war. Motive.

About three months before the theft, Ferrara was jailed for murder charges and his associate Bobby Donati was one of his first visitors. Donati told Ferrara that he was going to get him out of jail. Three months later, Ferrara heard news about the theft. When Donati visited Ferrara again, Ferrara asked if "it was him" to which Donati affirmed. Donati explained that said he buried the artwork and would start a negotiation once things cooled down. Donati was murdered in September 1991.

Connor also thinks it was Donati. He was told same thing from DOnati's partner David Houghton. Connor recalled that Houghton visited him and jail and told him that he and Donati pulled off the heist and were going to use the paintings to get him out of jail. Donati had worked with Connor in past on art heists. Connor had used art to reduce sentences in the past, and Donati took note of this. Donati and Connor had scoped out the museum.

Guarente and Donati were close friends. Donati was seen at a social club in Revere shortly before the robbery with Bobby Guarente and a paper bag with police uniforms. When Donati disappeared (murdered), Guarente was one of the first people that Donati family members called. Earle Berghman also corroborated that DOnati did the job, gave paintings to GUarente when he became concerned for his safety.

In early 2014, Kurkjian wrote a letter to Ferrara to ask what he knew about the theft. In May 2014, Kurkjian received a call from a Ferrara associate that Bobby Donati robbed the museum to get Ferrara out of jail.

About three months before the theft, Ferrara was jailed for murder charges and Donati was one of his first visitors.

Donati told Ferrara that he was going to get him out of jail. Three months later, Ferrara heard news about the theft.

Donati visited Ferrara again in jail. Ferrara asked if "it was him" to which Donati affirmed.

Ferrara told Donati that he was crazy and to leave town. Donati said he buried the stuff and will start a negotiation once things cool down.

Donati was murdered in 9/1991.

Connor also thinks it was Donati. He was told same thing from DOnati's partner David Houghton.

Connor recalled that Houghton visited him and jail and told him that he and Donati pulled off the heist and were going to use the paintings to get him out of jail.

Donati had worked with Connor in past on art heists.

Connor had used art to reduce sentences in the past, and Donati took note of this.

Donati and Connor had scoped out the museum.

Donati was seen at a social club in Revere shortly before the robbery with Bobby Guarente and a paper bag with police uniforms.

Guarente and Donati were close friends.

When Donati disappeared (murdered), Guarente was one of the first people that Donati family members called.

Earle Berghman also corroborated that DOnati did the job, gave paintings to GUarente when he became concerned for his safety.

Kurkjian shared this information with Amora and Kelly but has gotten little response.

Ferrara could protect Donati in the war. Motive.

Kurkjian recommended Ferrara meet with Gentile to possibly broker the return of some of the paintings. But Gentil's rules forbid him from meeting with anyone who was convicted of federal offense. Only feds could organize such a meeting. Kurkjian stopped there.

In 2014, FBI sent informant who organized scheme to sell weed at XL center rock concerts. In one conversation, GEntile told informant that if weed deal went well, he might be willing to sell him two of the stolen masterpieces for 0.5 million dollars.

When asked why sell for so much less than the museum reward. Gentile said he didn't trust the reward and thought they would arrest him on some type of charge anyways.

GEntile in prison on weapons charges selling to the informant. Continues to maintain he does not know location of paintings.

Investigation
By mid-afternoon on the day following the heist,the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took over the case rather than local police, as it was likely the artwork could cross state lines. More than 40 agents were assigned to the case immediately, but that number was reduced after three months down to one.

Background
The death of Raymond Patriarca and imprisonment of Gennaro Angiulo in the 1980s — both leaders in the Patriarca crime family — sparked a gang war between groups within the family for control of the Boston criminal underground. One group was loyal to Frank Salemme, while another was run by Angelo Mercurio, Vincent Ferrara, and Robert F. Carrozza. Both groups had prior knowledge of the Gardner museum's security vulnerabilities, and both have been investigated for involvement in the robbery.

Rossetti gang
The FBI believes the theft may have been organized by the Rossetti gang, a group of criminals loyal to Salemme whose namesake came from boss Ralph Rossetti and his nephew Stephen. The gang was based at an automobile repair shop in Dorchester run by criminal Carmello Merlino. The gang gained knowledge of the museum's weaknesses after gangster Louis Royce cased it as early as 1981. He devised plans with an associate to light up smoke bombs in the Tapestry Room when a concert was being performed, then rush the galleries near the entrance to make a quick getaway. One time, Royce and his associate disguised themselves as utility workers and stole a cherry picker in an attempt to steal items through a window in the museum. They abandoned the plan when they reached the window and discovered it was locked. When FBI undercover agents were investigating the Rossetti gang for another art theft, they learned of their interest in robbing the Gardner museum. The FBI notified the museum of the gang's plan. Although Royce was in prison at the time of the 1990 robbery, the FBI believes it originated from Royce's plan to rob the museum. Royce shared his plan for the heist with others and he believes Stephen Rossetti may have ordered it or passed it on to someone else. Royce suspects the paintings were stolen to negotiate someone's jail sentence, but as that time has passed, he now wants the paintings returned. He believes he is owed 15% of the theft profits.

Robert Guarente and Robert Gentile
Among those associated with the Rossetti gang was Robert Guarente. He helped run a cocaine trafficking operation from the Dorchester auto shop that ran from Philadelphia up to New England. He died from cancer in 2004, but his ties with Manchester, Connecticut gangster Robert Gentile have been a focus in the FBI's investigation starting in March 2010. The investigation began when Guarente's widow, Elene Guarente, began speaking with the FBI about her deceased husband and his ties with the Gardner paintings. She claims the FBI reached out to her, but the FBI claims she saw an advertisement looking for information and contacted them because she needed money. Before she gave any details to the FBI, she phoned Gentile and said that she believed he was given some Gardner paintings from her husband and wanted his help in speaking with authorities. Gentile told Elene that he was never given any paintings, and knew nothing of the painting whereabouts. Elene told the FBI that when her husband got sick with cancer in the early 2000s, he organized a lunch date with Gentile, and her husband told her on their car ride home that he gave Gentile three paintings for safekeeping. Gentile called the accusations "ridiculous".

In early 2012, federal authorities indicted Gentile on drug charges after he sold painkillers to an undercover agent. Its likely authorities orchestrated these charges to provide them leverage to get Gentile to share what he knew about Gardner works. Gentile told investigators that he and Guarente had discussed the case casually, but Guarente never had any of the paintings or gave any to him. Gentile submitted to a polygraph test, in which he repeatedly denied any knowledge of the theft or location of the artwork, but the polygraph indicated that he was lying. Gentile maintained he was telling the truth and demanded a retest. During the retest he indicated that Elene had once pulled the missing Rembrandt self-portrait from her bra and said it would help pay for her retirement. The polygraph machine indicated Gentile was telling the truth. Gentile's lawyer felt that the veracity of Gentile's claims were being affected by the pressure of an overwhelming amount of federal agents in the room. He organized a smaller meeting with only two federal agents in the hope that it would get Gentile to speak honestly. In the smaller meeting, Gentile maintained that he did not know anything.

A few days later, the FBI stormed Gentile's house in Manchester with a search warrant. Gentile's son told investigators that he believed his father's innocence in the Gardner case, but revealed the location of a secret ditch beneath a false floor in the backyard shed, saying that would be the ideal hiding spot for the paintings. He explained that the ditch flooded a few years prior and his father was upset about whatever was in the ditch. The FBI searched the ditch but found nothing. They pressured Gentile about the ditch but he maintained that he did not know anything about the Gardner case. In his basement, the FBI found a copy of the Boston Herald from March 1990 reporting the theft along with a piece of paper indicating what each piece might sell for on the black market.

Gentile went to prison for 30 months. After getting out of prison, Gentile spoke with investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian. Gentile told Kurkjian that he was framed by the FBI and his imprisonment ruined his life. He claimed that he lost access to Social Security benefits and was denied a visit to his daughter before she died. He also explained that the list found in his basement was written up by a criminal trying to broker return of the works from Guarente and was talking to Gentile as an intermediary. The account was corroborated by an associate. When asked about what could have been in the ditch, Gentile could not recall but believed it could have been small motors. He gave Kurkjian the keys to his shed, and Kurkjian only found yard equipment.

David Turner
David Turner was another associate of Guarente Turner and Stephen Rossetti were frequent visitors to Guarente's weekend estate in Madison, Maine. In the months before and after the theft, the Massachusetts State Police were watching Turner because of his suspected involvement in trafficking cocaine through the Dorchester garage. In March 1990, just days before the heist, Turner drove to Florida to pick up a large amount of cocaine. On March 15, Turner's credit card was used to purchase hundreds of dollars in merchandise from Florida shops specialized in electronic equipment for monitoring police communications that could determine if someone was targeted for surveillance. His credit card was used next on March 20 to rent a car in Fort Lauderdale. His signature was used but not his social security number, suggesting that someone other than Turner may have been using his credit card. Turner was back in Boston at least a few days after the robbery.

In 1992, Merlino and another associate Pappas were arrested for cocaine trafficking. Pappas told authorities about Turner's involvement in several break-ins but did not mention the Gardner heist. Merlino asked Turner to try and recover the stolen paintings, but Turner said he could not locate them, only saying he heard they were in a church in South Boston but could not find them.

Merlino began devising new schemes when he was freed from jail. He organized the heist of an armored van headquarters building. Involved were Merlino, his nephew, Turner, Stephen Rossetti, and FBI informant Anthony Romano. Because of information Romano gathered, the men were all arrested in a sting operation the morning of the planned robbery. Turner was convinced the FBI let the plot proceed so they could arrest him to pressure him for information about the Gardner paintings. He maintained he did not know anything. The men were sent to prison in 2002, with particularly long sentences because their robbery equipment included a hand grenade. Turner's expected release from jail is in 2025.

Despite his claims of innocence, the FBI believes he may have been one of the thieves. They think the other thief was his friend George Reissfelder who operated with the Rossetti gang. He died in July 1991. No clues were found in his apartment or the homes of friends and relatives, but his siblings recall a painting similar to Chez Tortoni in his bedroom.

Turner knew Gentile through Guarente, and in November 2010, wrote a letter to Gentile a few months after Gentile was contacted by Elene Guarente. Turner wrote to him hoping he could call Turner's former girlfriend to assist in recovering the Gardner paintings. Gentile initially did not want to get involved, but ultimately decided it would be in his best interest to help as it could get him out of the drug charges. In cooperation with the FBI, Gentile spoke with Turner's girlfriend, and she told him that Turner wanted him to speak with two of his ex-convict friends in Boston. The FBI wanted Gentile to meet the men and send an FBI undercover agent with him, but Gentile did not want to cooperate further.

Bobby Donati
In early 2014, investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian wrote a letter to gangster Vincent Ferrara to ask what he knew about the theft. In May that year, Kurkjian received a call from an associate of Ferrara and explained that the FBI was wrong in suspecting the Rossetti gang's involvement and that Ferrara's associate Bobby Donati organized the robbery. About three months before the theft, Ferrara was jailed for murder charges. As the caller explained to Kurkjian, Donati was one of his first visitors and told Ferrara that he was going to do something to get him out of jail. After Ferrara heard news about the theft, Donati visited him again. Ferrara asked if he committed the robbery to which Donati affirmed. Donati said he buried the artwork and would start a negotiation once the investigation cooled down, but he was murdered in September 1991. Kurkjian believes Donati was motivated to commit the robbery and get Ferrara out of jail because Ferrara could protect Donati in the gang war. A friend of Guarente also corroborated that Donati organized the robbery, and claimed Donati gave paintings to Guarente when he became concerned for his safety. Donati was close friends with Guarente. The two were seen at a social club in Revere shortly before the robber with a paper bag with police uniforms.

Art thief Myles J. Connor Jr. also believes Donati organized the robbery. Connor was notorious New England art thief having previously stolen a Rembrandt from the city's Museum of Fine Arts in 1973, as well as art from the Woolworth family estate. He was in jail at the time of the robbery, but told authorities that he believed the masterminds were criminals Bobby Donati and David Houghton. Houghton visited him in jail after the heist and told him that he and Donati organized it and were going to use the paintings to get Connor out of jail. Connor had worked with Donati in past art heists, and the two cased the Gardner museum in the past. He told authorities that Donati took interest in the finial, but failed to mention if Donati took interest in the flag the finial sat on top of, contradicting evidence at the scene suggesting the thieves attempted to steal the whole flag. Donati likely took note of how Connor returned art to reduce sentences in the past and put it to practice with the Gardner theft. Even though Donati's and Houghton's appearances did not fit the witness descriptions, Connor suggested they probably hired lower-level gangsters to carry out the robbery. Both Houghton and Donati died within two years of the robbery, Houghton from an illness, and Donati was murdered. Connor told investigators he could assist in returning the Gardner works in exchange for the museum's posted reward and his freedom. When investigators did not give Connor his demands, he suggested they speak with criminal William P. Youngworth.

In 1997, the FBI raided Youngworth's home, acting on Connor's word that he may be able to locate the Gardner works. The raid caught the attention of journalist Tom Mashberg, who began talking with Youngworth in July that year about the theft. One night in August 1997, Youngworth called Mashberg and told him he had proof he could return the Gardner paintings under the right conditions. That night, Youngworth picked up Mashberg from the Boston Herald offices and drove him to a warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Youngworth led him into the warehouse and to a storage unit with several large cylinder tubes. He removed one painting from its tube, unfurled it, and showed it to Mashberg under flashlight. It appeared to Mashberg to be the authentic stolen Rembrandt, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. He noticed cracking along the canvas and the edges were cut in a manner consistent with the museum's reports. Mashberg wrote about his experience in the Boston Herald, leaving out details to hide Youngworth's identity and the painting's location. He reported that his "informant" (presumably Youngworth) told him the robbery was pulled off by five men and identified two: Bobby Donati was one of the robbers, and David Houghton was responsible with moving the art to a safe house. The FBI discovered the location of the warehouse several months later and raided it, finding nothing.

The veracity of Youngworth's claims and the authenticity of the painting shown to Mashberg is disputed. Youngworth supplied paint chips to Mashberg for validation, and federal authorities reported that they were indeed from Rembrandt's era, but did not match oils used for The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. The way Mashberg described the painting as being "unfurled" has also been scrutinized, as the stolen painting was covered with a heavy varnish that would not roll easily. Federal authorities and the museum began working with Youngworth after Mashberg's story was published, but Youngworth made negotiations difficult. He would not work with authorities unless his demands could be met, which included dropping charges against him and releasing Connor from jail. The museum loaned $10,000 to Youngworth at his request to continue pursing the art, but it was never repaid. The United States attorney overseeing the case eventually ceased talks with Youngworth unless he could provide more reliable evidence that he had access to the Gardner works. Youngworth again provided a vial of paint chips, purportedly from The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, and 25 color photographs of the painting and A Lady and Gentleman in Black. A joint statement from the museum and federal investigators announced that the chips were not from the stolen Rembrandts, though they did test as being from 17th century paintings and could not rule them out as being from The Concert. Mashberg's account remains the most credible possible sighting of any of the stolen works.

Boser notes
Weird selection of works

Men were not art experts

Attribution to Lady and Gentleman in Black, might not be Rembrandt

Harold Smith's analysis of thieves' intent/skill

Review of Gardner security at the time

Immediate aftermath of robbery and insurance policy

Falzon's review of nightwatchman's involvement.

Japanese search, first American search warrant ever issued in Japan.

2.6 million anon

Unique case in that it is large but Lack of physical evidence.

Brian McDevitt

Long story about Youngworth and Sabba

Myles Connor chapter

Turbo, Bulger, IRA for 2 chapters

Northeastern student thought one of guys in hatchback looked like Turner. Also Abath felt same about one of thieves, I think mentioned in Kurkjian book.

Turner left Boston on March 19 according to Boser.

Similarities to other Turner heists done on weekends, and use of costumes, handcuffs, police scanners.

Change name of Rossetti gang to Merlino crew or something in article. and write in that sense.

Reissfelder

Summary on page 200 to 202

What has changed at museum since robbery page 211-212