Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 337 - Heist! The $600 Million Gardner Museum Robbery

Episode Date: February 27, 2023

On March 18th, 1990 two men disguised as Boston police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and overpowered the two security guards on duty. In just 81 minutes, the thieves stole over $600 MILLION worth of historic art. Valued at over $200 million at the time. The Gardner Museum heist remains the biggest art theft in the world - and the biggest private property theft in US history if not in the history of world. Thirty-three years later, the case still remains unsolved. So who stole thirteen very valuable works of art? Where are they now? All of this and so much more in a unique, true crime edition of Timesuck. Want to apply for the Cummins Family Scholarship fund?  The application process opens on MARCH 6TH, 2023. To apply click this link!: https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/cummins/ Click the "Scholarship Hub America" button. Register to create a Hub account with a unique username and password.Log into your account and complete the questions in the profile section. The list of scholarships will display on the website.   Locate the  Cummins Family Scholarship Fund application and click the “Apply Now” link to fill out your information!     An online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf. It is the student’s responsibility to follow up with their recommender to ensure they submit the information before the deadline. Next start filling out the application by completing all required fields and click the “Save answers” button.  If all required data was entered, the Application section in the progress bar at the top of the page will turn green.  An error message will display at the top of the page if any fields are missing or have incomplete information. Click the “Next” button at the top of the page and use the Add a Document tool available to upload your documents. Once all documents have been uploaded, click the “Next” button again to review your information before submitting your application.  If all information appears correct, click the “Lock and Submit” button and click “OK” to submit your data to Scholarship America for processing. You will receive an email confirmation once the application has been successfully submitted.  If you don’t receive the email confirmation, please check your spam or junk mail folder or search for an email from [e-mail]  to confirm your application has been received. Questions can be emailed to [e-mail] Hot Bad Magic Summer Camps are ON SALE!  BadMagicMerch.com Bad Magic Productions Monthly Patreon Donation:  This month's donation is for $14,740 to Teach For America, a diverse network of leaders who work to confront the injustice of education inequity through teaching.You can learn more about Teach for America or get involved by going to teachforamerica.org An additional $1,640 is being put into the scholarship fund! Thank you to all of our patrons who are able to continue to support not only us but these amazing causes. Teachforamerica.orgGet tour tickets at dancummins.tv Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GsrbsqnlZu4Merch: https://www.badmagicmerch.comDiscord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: [e-mail] (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits.

On March 18th, 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers and are the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and overpowered the two security guards on duty. In just 81 minutes, the Dave stole over $600 million worth of historic art. The dieted over 200 million at the time. The Gardner Museum Heist remains the biggest art theft in the world and the biggest private property theft in US history

if not in the history of the entire world. And 33 years later, the case still remains unsolved. The FBI has followed tips around the world and interviewed museum employees of a variety of convicted felons, Boston mobsters and more. They believe they do know who is responsible for the crime who may have organized a theft or been involved in some way and where the stolen works traveled after the heist. The problem is they have no idea where the stolen art is right now. And it's getting harder and harder to figure out

where it could be with each passing year. Almost everyone who is likely involved in the garden or heist is dead, possibly taking over $600 million worth of secrets with them to their graves. The Garden Museum heist remains one of the most high profile crimes in the world. Plyceless works of art were stolen. And at this point, it sure seems like a very real possibility

that they might not ever be recovered. Who do investigators suspect was involved in the heist and why? Could the theft have been prevented with better security? Was it an inside job? Was the mob involved? Why did the museum hire so much better security guards than they had? In this episode, we'll discuss the life of the museum's founder, how she curated her collection worth hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars. We'll talk about

the art itself, the timeline of the infamous heist, still the largest property theft in American history, and look at all the primary potential suspects, one of whom is such a silly dick. In this week's Who Donut, are you rooting for the crooks of the cops? True crime edition of Time Suck. the crooks of the cops, true crime addition of time suck. This is Michael McDonald and you're listening to time suck. You're listening to time suck. Happy Monday, Midsack. And welcome to the Colt of the Curious. I'm Dan Cummins, the Suck Master, big time Hollywood producer.

Who will for sure be working with award winning director, Katherine Bigelow on a night, which is filmed very soon. Kyla Kyla, but a magna, I'm centipede Bugsnake nightmare breeder. Why did I make up a bug with a word that's so hard to say? Female aviator groupie and you are listening to Time Suck. Hail Nimrod, he'll lose the Fena, praise be to the best boyboy jangles and glory be to triple them. Hoping I had fun in San Antonio and Dallas, as you hear this, when this drops,

I'll have just gotten back from Texas. I definitely had a blast in Sacramento and Denver. Holy shit. Almost 2000 people to Paramount and Denver. What a rush Sacramento. Also awesome. Also know that Sacramento is not the Bay area I may have messed that up the other week. The crest is a very fun venue Seattle coming up next both shows. I think close to sold out but maybe someone's Re-selling tickets by the time you hear this. Thank you Seattle Pontiac Michigan Indianapolis after that Think Indy it might be sold out as well. Then it's off to New Orleans, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Columbus, Dancomas.tv for tickets to these shows

and more. I do have some club dates afterwards where I'm gonna be building a brand new hour of material. If you really love stand-up, fun shows to see how bits start off, how they're built in the beginning compared to how they end up for a recording. And now for this week's, M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e- Hopefully you know where to go. And now it's time for some showbiz.

Have you ever fantasized about pulling off a heist? I sure have. Some real life, oceans, 11 shit. We assemble the perfect crew, make-up with millions and millions. And for my fantasy, I got one dude who's a tech wizard. Got to have a tech wizard. A real security system expert, some hacker who can disable things from a laptop, hijack the cameras, run loop CCTV footage instead of like real time video, you

know deactivate the laser grid, whatever it takes. I got another guy specializes in picking locks like any locks, a mechanical savant. And I for sure have a wild man getaway driver who would have fucking NASCAR race. I got a stealthy lookout, next military, specialized in covert operations, quiet no nonsense type. I got a cool headed trigger man with a voice that lets you know, he means fucking business.

Someone who doesn't want to shoot, but if he does, he's not gonna miss. I have an inside man, someone who works, wherever we're pulling the high stuff, could be inside woman. Are these positions? Yeah, I want a couple of sex women on this team. I do actually now. Now that I really think about it. I want you know someone who takes this inside job to pull off the heist along con

Someone who's not gonna crack under questioning Need a need a strong fake ID contact Not necessarily someone like on the team, but someone friendly with the team and good enough You know get some fake ideas that are you know solid enough to get us out of the country to start a new life somewhere, anywhere we want to go, preferably somewhere doesn't have a extra day, you know, won't extradite us back to the US somewhere sunny and warm. Me and my fantasy, I'm like a version of Danny Ocean, right? I'm putting the team together, planning everything.

And this heist, it's gonna be big, real big to make the risk worth it, pay out in the hundreds of millions of dollars, enough for everyone involved to walk away with enough money to never have to work another day in their life. Enough money, you know, or jewels, gold, art, whatever, to live in luxury for the rest of our lives. Because otherwise what's the point? And obviously we never get caught. Come on.

And we never turn on each other. No one ever comes after us for the money. It's just beaches and sunset and tropical drinks with twisty straws and sexy ladies and bikinis and easy living for the rest of our laughter and sex field days and a lot of drugs. The best stuff, pure, uncut. All right, again, it's my fantasy.

Hey, it was just a fena. It is a fun daydream. But what I ever really try and pull it off. No, get the fuck out of here, absolutely not. 16-year-old me would be super bummed out. Do you hear me say that? But I wouldn't But some guys have done it some guys did not bum out the 16 year old cell They're 16 year old selves but back in Boston in 1990 guys who stole hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art and

Have never been caught but still wasn't worth it did they live out their days in luxury? Let's see how reality compares to fantasy. Yeah, yeah, time to really get into it. So how are we going to break down the Heist today? Well, first we're going to discuss the life of the museum's founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and what led her to establish the Gardner Museum. Followed by a timeline of the infamous Gardner Museum Heist, which will feature a little look at the work stolen, followed by an analysis of the the primary suspects. I'll recap and talk about the, you know, whole reality compared to fantasy thing. How did it up? Matching up.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum located in Boston, Massachusetts was founded back in 1903 By woman named of course Isabella Stewart pigfucker. She chose to change your last name for the museum since a lot of folks back then and They found this surname of pigfucker offensive for reasons that have never been made clear in sources. I don't get it You know, it's good a name is any my book, but whatever No, of course now of course your last name, as I've already said, was Gardner. While the full name of the museum is about a Stuart Gardner museum, most people just call it the Gardner Museum. But now going forward, I am guessing that at least a few people, fingers crossed, will

think of it as the Pigfucker Museum. And I do have to wonder if it was called the Pigfucker Museum, would attendance be better? A number of sources state that the museum has been beset by financial difficulties, going all the way back to the, you know, 1920s, maybe the solution to your money problems guarding museum is going full pigfucker. Isabella Gardner was a local celebrity. Back when she opened her museum, one Boston area reporter once wrote, back when married women's identities

where it linked primarily to their husbands, Mrs. Jack Gardener is one of the seven wonders of Boston. There is nobody like her in any city in this country. She is a millionaire Bohemian. She is the leader of the smart set, but she often leads where none dare follow. She imitates nobody. Everything she does is novel and original.

Man, nice. How do you think to wake up and read that about yourself in the paper? I felt like that would put a little extra pep in your step for the rest of the day, right? Nice little ego stroke. How's it going? Ha ha, great. It's official. I'm the leader of the smart set, motherfucker b bingo clear on out everybody smart set leader coming through

All aboard the smart set train Isabel was born on April 14th 1840 in New York City She was born into a wealthy family her dad David Stewart made a fortune through a variety of shrewd investments and importing Irish linen Isabel's mother was Adelia Smith Stewart, and Adelia is described in sources as having been dumb, ugly, and poor. Now, whenever really understood with David Sawner, I know his friends would be like,

bro, why are you wasting your life at that bridge troll? You can be hitting some top shelf push right now, yo. No cap, you can be busting, bro. Why are you fooling with basic? When you can get some straight fire dog? Yeah, that's how people talk back then. You know, I like to do now. It's just slang. You just keep getting recycled dog. No, I have no idea. I don't know what I'm totally look like or what she was about. She looks stiff and grumpy in an old painting that's at the Gardening Museum now, but almost everyone

looks stiff and grumpy and paintings back in the mid 1800s. Her daughter Isabella was the oldest of four children and the only child to survive into adulthood. My god, life was so hard compared to now back then. Even for the rich, one of four kids makes it into adulthood and that wasn't terribly rare. She was quoted on her parents, according to the Boston women's heritage trail, Isabella and had Scottish ancestry on her father's side through the royal steward line. And her mother's English relatives immigrated to Boston way back in the 1600s and settled originally in Long Island. Old money Isabella and her family lived in the West Village where she received a private

education while the West Village became known as an important landmark on the map of American bohemian culture in the early and mid 20th century, and the neighborhood was known for its colorful artistic residence and the alternative culture they propagated. I'm not sure how artistic it was back in the 19th century. I know it became a very affluent neighborhood in the mid 19th century and then a wave of immigrants

from Italy, France, and Ireland showed up towards the end of the 1800s and changed the neighborhood a lot. Wealthier residents started to move out and the seeds of an art-seer-more working-class crowd began to be planted. Isabella was long gone from the West Village by then. After attending an all-girls' private primary and secondary school, Isabella attended a finishing school in Perry from 1856 to 1858. Pretty nice.

How cool, you know, when you can pop on over to Paris for a few years, when you're 16, 16 and rich. Guessing she had a good time, would have probably had a better time more recently when women were no longer as judged for indulging in any kind of sexuality or youthful recklessness, but still, I bet you had fun. During the time abroad,

you traveled with your parents to Italy and became interested in Renaissance art and architecture. Isabella's friend, Aida, Agees, Higginson told her, you said to me that if you inherited any money, that if it was yours to dispose of, you would have a house like the one in Milan filled with beautiful pictures and objects of art for people to come and enjoy. It's a nice dream. The dream of a massive inheritance, right? If you weren't going to go out and join the workforce, using that money to fund a museum, let others experience historical art up close and personal in a way they never could, if

they had to buy themselves. Not a bad thing to do with a easy money. You're getting from a will or a trust. One of Isabella's school friends, Julia Gardner, introduced Isabella to her brother, John Lowell Gardner, junior, AKA Jack the Ripper, or just Jack. But I do want his nickname to have been Jack the Ripper

a bit before those crimes occurred over in the UK. Yeah, and then he's just like, oh, shit. But no, just Jack, the Gardner family got their wealth primarily from the Salem Maritime trade and then increased it from their subsequent investments in real roads, mines and mills. Man, if you make that big mountain of initial money and then make the right investments, that initial fortune can build an even greater fortune for your family, theoretically forever, as long as they continue to reinvest enough of it, just money, working by itself to make

more money. That is true financial freedom, ultimate financial dream. It has to feel so good, right? Being able to spend a bunch of money, gall eventin' around the world or somethin' and having big custom homes built for you, eatin' the finest foods,

while your accounts continue to grow and replace the money you spend in more. And imagine that workin' for a year. It worth a hundred million dollars to start the year for easy numbers. And you make a very conservative 5% 5 million dollars on your investments of that a hundred million dollars. And you put two million dollars into a new 10 million dollar home.

You spend another million dollars just fucking around another million on travel. You don't work at all. And you still end up a million dollars wealthier at the end of the year. Jack Gardner was considered one of Boston's most eligible bachelors. It was born November 26, 1837. Jack's mother, Catherine, and to cut Peabody was a daughter of Salem, Massachusetts shipowner Joseph Peabody. Joe Peab made a huge fortune importing pepper from Sumatra, because why not?

When he died in 1844, the age 86, he was one of the wealthiest men in the United States So holy shit So isabel it comes from money and some nobility then marries into so much money and a type of American nobility Jack was descended from Thomas Gardner believed to be the first governor of Massachusetts due to his being a in authority in the first settlement To became the mass Tuesday's Bay colony and from Timothy Pickering the third secretary of state I first started in Harvard Jack joined his father's trading business on April 10th 1860 Isabella and Jack get married at Grace Church in New York City and then the Mootaboston jacks home town and Living a house given to them by Isabella's father

Isabella's new Boston home was described as an elegant townhouse style mansion built in Boston's newest and most fashionable neighborhood, the back bay. Fuck sank. Yeah, totally. Just live in a new mansion when you're a young newlywed that your father has just given you. Some people really win the birth lottery. Soon Jack and Isabella's first child son John Lowell Gardner, the third AKA Jackie was born June 18th 1863. He was born a healthy front butt dump, but sadly little Jackie did die from pneumonia March 15th 1865. Not even those born into the most wealth and privilege can ever buy a true and total escape from tragedy sadly. Then more tragedy Isabella suffered a miscarriage a year later.

It was told she couldn't have any more children at the age of only 26. She was told she couldn't have any more kids in the front. Technically, Dr. Seth nothing about butt babies and she and Jack would go on to have three beautiful butt baby boys. Skat, Duke and Dingelberry. Do I have to say I'm not I'm kidding about that? I hope not. To further add Isabella's personal tragedy.

Her close friend and her sister-in-law both die around the same time as her miscarriage. Now Isabella becomes very depressed. I mean, yeah, her son dies. Her body aborts, her second child. She's told she will never be able to have another child, then her close friend dies, and her sister-in-law dies, right? All in a very short period of time. Again, money, unfortunately, just can't protect you from everything.

Fun fantasy to think that it could though, right? Like if you hit a lot of, made enough, you know, whatever, just guaranteed smooth sailing. You just buy some super rich person protection plan and or guaranteed to be spared from any in all future tragedies. What a wonderful thing to work towards, towards if it existed. Doctors advised travel to restore Isabella's health and spirits, so she and Jack traveled to Europe in 1867. They went to Scandinavia, Russia, France, and Italy. Do you own a peperon, a presto, masanatama, masanatama, a meezable? They stayed at the finest hotels and hit the sights, and I imagine probably fucked a whole bunch, which all helped improve Isabella's spirits greatly.

Isabella soon became a world traveler, going to places Egypt in the Middle East in the 1870s. All around Asia in the 1880s, she loved to travel. She kept travel journals. The gardenals traveled to Japan, China, India. Egypt and more started to be friendly more and more local artists. Travel to Venice in 1884 where Isabella met more artists who now encouraged her to start collecting art.

Jack and Isabella traveled so much they were abroad for a total of 10 straight years. Man, that part of their life showed up in suck. Apparently their parents not real concerned about either one of them getting jobs. That family money, making money and funded a decade of international travel. And it's not like they were staying in youth hostels living on bread and cheese. This part of their life sounds incredible like a like a fantasy, but they're actually living it. But then in 1875, more tragedy strikes. Jack's brother Joseph dies and leaves his three sons behind

since her mother is already deceased. And now all three boys are taken in and raised by Jack and Isabella, and that is super cool. I imagine some nannies and other hired help, of course, as well. Biographer Morris Carter wrote of Isabella at the time saying, in her duty to these boys, she was faithful and conscientious. So, you know, Hayles-Fena got good on her.

Isabella, her world travel now put on pause, settles in and enjoys participating in intellectual life in Boston and Cambridge, in addition to helping raise those boys. She makes quite a name for herself, as a noteworthy person in Boston. She didn't fit the typical stereotype of a Victorian woman. She was described as eccentric, original, and again, a leader of the smart set.

Britannica wrote about her. She adopted her, uh, his city as her own, but Boston's brawman society failed to reciprocate this openness. Her household was quite one until the 1870s. When after a bout of illness and despondency and an exhilarating European convalescence, she began arranging social affairs that dazzled and occasionally titillated conservative Boston. A brilliant and unconventional woman, she attracted musicians, artists, and actors,

and she came close to scandalizing Boston society by attending boxing matches. Hey, Luciferina, something like a like a cool ass person and lightened by all that world travel And I love what her scandal was What a woman of a China owner Watching dudes punch each other in the face for entertainment What is the world coming to house scandalous? That could have led to more women watching fighting and then did and then that led to women being able to fight each other today

Just like men and now well the world still turns exactly the same as it did before and I guess it didn't fucking matter that those dudes were all worked up for nothing Isabella often hosted lively dinner parties Solons and lectures and her beautiful Boston home She had a few beautiful Boston homes By the time she resettled there actually, not a big art collector yet, but she's close. In 1878, Isabella attended the readings of Charles Elliott Norton Harvard's first art history professor. It was F. Marion Crawford, an American writer known for

classic weird and fanatical stories who invited Isabella to attend the readings by Norton. He said a lot of noteworthy friends now. Norton invited Isabella to join the Dante Society as well. He encouraged her to start collecting rare books and manuscripts, and she did. She collected early editions of Dante's works, and then Isabella started her collection of European art after she inherited $1.75 million from her father in 1891. Hard to properly translate that amount into today's dollars.

But basically, after already clearing, clearly being wealthy, she has just received the equivalent, sorry, I don't know why I can't talk with her. Received the equivalent of an extra $60 million at least. In 1886, Isabella had met a Harvard student named Bernard Baronson, funded by the gardeners and others. Baronson now travels to Florence in 1887.

It originally planned on starting a literary career, but he found that he was more interested in Italian Renaissance art. He will become Isabella's chief art advisor after she gets that inheritance and will help her acquire many of the most important pieces in her collection. In 1896, with his help, Isabella purchased what might have been her museum's most expensive piece at the time of the most important pieces in her collection. In 1896, with his help, Isabella purchased what might have been her museum's most expensive piece at the time of the heist. Tissians, 1562, rape of Europa for 20,000 pounds.

It was 20,000 pounds equivalent to about $100,000 in U.S. dollars at that time. So she still had plenty of fortune left over. And it's not like the inheritance was all the money she had. I can't determine the current market value for that bad boy, but in 2011, a much, much less coveted addition than Madonna and child with St. Luke and Catherine of Alexandria sold at an auction for just under 17 million. So with the rape of Europe ago for 50 million, a lot more.

It shows up in a lot of top 10 type lists of his most important works. Barenston helped Isabella acquire almost 70 pieces of fine art. She purchased some art on her own, but she usually asked male colleagues to make purchases for her because it was, quote, uncommon for women to collect art. I mean, sadly, she probably knew she would get ripped off if she did that herself or people just wouldn't sell to her. After Isabella purchased Rembrandt's 1629 self-portrait, she and Jack decided that they need a more space for their art collection and started to consider a museum. They chose

architect Willard T. Sears to drop the plans. Sears had remodeled their house and Brookline, one of their area homes. They thought about combining two of their houses on Beacon Street where they lived into a museum, but Jack thought it would be better just to buy Newland, so they wouldn't have to give up a home. I mean, totally. I mean, obviously, I mean, when you, you know, you want to just start a museum, you don't use land, you just buy a new land. You can always just buy Newland, whenever you feel like it, and just build whatever you want on it. Easy peasy. In 1897, Isabelle and Jack traveled to Venice, Florence, and Rome, and Italy to get more inspiration and materials for the museum. As one does does when they just decide to build a new museum

You got to go consult those hot hard father-daddies covered knowledge oil They about columns windows doorways reliefs balustrades capitals and statues from different periods of history Go and all the way back to Roman times, you know time totally good call You know you can't go cheap with replicas. No way Jose You just got a galvanon over to Italy buy some original Roman shit to kick off your museum. You just put it on the MX. Pay cash, easy peasy again. Come on. Isabel and Jack wanted to buy land near the back bay fens part of Frederick law Olmsteads and ruled necklace park system in Boston for the museum. They

wanted to make sure to stay away from his much less desirable pearl necklace park system that was infested with shrubs, luts and bushbeaters and other sexually reckless types. JFK, of course. At the time, the Back Bay Fends was newly filled swamp land. Pretty funny. This place is very much in the city today, but back then, not that long ago, really, back in the outskirts, back in the, a bit of the outskirts out in the swamp.

The Back Bay Fends, aka the Fends, is an urban park established in 1879. A link in the Emerald necklace, which is about 1100 acres of interconnected parkways and waterways in Boston and neighboring Brookline, Massachusetts, it includes Boston Common, a bunch of other notable areas. And Boston yet today has a lot of green in it. One of my favorite US cities. Ever since I first went there back in like 2001, it's a gorgeous city, in my opinion. Stupid, expensive to live there, but gorgeous. Sadly, Jack Carter would never see his dream of a museum come to fruition. He died of a stroke, December 10, 1898 at the age of 61. Six weeks after her husband's death, Isabella acted on their plan and bought a plot of land in the fence.

She had William Sears right throughout the plans for the museum. There were very few buildings in the area at that time to honor her husband. She also had Jack's body mummified and encased in a thin layer of 24-care gold. She had his eyes replaced with clusters of diamonds and sapphires, had his teeth replaced with ancient ivory Found in the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh Is modified corpse is still on display in the museum today And I'm supposed to touch it But if you rub it and lick the corpse dust off your fingers it's supposed to give you 10 years of good luck

Or it made that up. I could see some really wealthy eccentric, a little bit crazy person doing something like that though. Just mummifying their partner, putting them on display. Lindsay and I joke about doing something like that with the dogs, Penny and Gigi. All right, Penny, Pupar, Ginger Bell, having them taxi-dermed, pray for jiggles, maybe have them dipped in bronze, and I'll put them in action poses.

Like, Penny could be frozen indefinitely in mid-bark, yelling at us to give her even more food, like she so often does. Hello creature would eat herself to death in two days tops if left her own devices, and the Gigi could be more-aligned in mid-butthole. I do know that all dogs, licked her buttholes, but Ginger, she might be in record-setting territory

for how much she chronically licks hers. Like she has to have one of the cleanest buttholes on this side of the Mississippi. Anyway, the gardeners chose the Fenway for the museum because it was remote location, had good natural light, and you know, it was scenic, and well manicured, new park system created by Fredrick Law Olmsted.

The Boston Red Sox Baseball team's home field, Fenway Park got its name from its location in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, which was partially created late 19th century by filling in marshland or fens to create the Back Bay Fens urban park. A little more Back Bay Fens trivia. Fenway Park is less than a mile from the Gardner Museum. Construction started on the New Museum in 1899, finished in 1901.

The museum's overall look was inspired by a Venetian palace. The building was designed to surround a glass covered courtyard, which was the first such courtyard in the country. And this courtyard is still glass covered today, and it is fucking beautiful. Based on the pictures I've seen at least, I do want to go to this museum now, someday in all seriousness. Isabella was a very particular client when it came to construction. She often changed her mind during the process, made the workers undo and redo their work. Another luxury of wealth, right? Money was almost literally no object when it came to this place's construction.

The design was based entirely on preference, not budget. One quote from Sears diary shows Isabella's take charge personality. He wrote, she said, go ahead and build it. The carriage shed without a permit. If the city stops me, I will not open my museum to the public. Isabella came to the worksite literally every day during construction. Had a very hands-on approach. This museum was her baby, her passion project. There was a residence built on the grounds and Isabella moved into the fourth floor, living quarters, and spent her time arranging the art galleries on the first three floors. There are still leads to residence on the fourth floor as far

as I can tell. Select artist can live there as part of a literal artist and residency program. In 1901 or 1902 Isabella installed her painting, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, manuscripts, rare books, and decorative arts. And then she continued buying works and changing out the installations until she died two decades later The museum opened on January 1st 1903 for a grand opening celebration of music art and horticulture The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed the interior courtyard was unveiled The museum was open to the public the next month and visitors got to see what was then truly one of the finest private art collections in America They were over 2500 items in the museum when it opened. One interesting fact is that before the museum opened, Isabella wanted to test the acoustics,

but she didn't want anyone to see the museum before the grand opening. So she had children from the Perkins School of the Blind come and sing at the museum. That is attention to detail. Holy shit. And she was so concerned with making her opening perfect. She personally killed two of those little fuckers for not singing with enough enthusiasm. And I cannot tell you how much I respect that. She was willing to do whatever it took to make her museum a success.

RIP name was blind kid with shitty voices. What if she really did do that and I did truly admire it? And then I get a bunch of offended emails but refused to back down. I just keep repeating, yeah, agree to disagree. Agree to disagree. All right, okay, so you wouldn't shoot a couple blind kids in the face to make sure

that the other ones really sing their asses off. To get the acoustics properly figured out, to have a kick ass grand opening Okay, all right guess we're just different that way agree to disagree The Garden Museum website states regarding the first couple decades the museum's existence Over the next 20 years Isabella Stewart Gardner filled her museum with visual and performing artists Organized concerts lectures and exhibitions and encourage artists to make themselves home in the museum.

Isabella Gardner, not only supported artists, she also supported the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Zoo, hospitals, literary associations, and the Episcopal Church. When she died, she left money to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Industrial School for Crippled and deformed children, the animal rescue league, and the Massachusetts Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.

So, praisemobiles, she was a good one. But also, industrial school for crippled and deformed children, Jesus. That language has not held up well. And where do you go to school, little girl? I go to the industrial school for a crippled and deformed children because I'm crippled and deformed. Fuck's sake. Isabella Gardner had a massive stroke in 1919, but lived five more years until July 17,

1924, and when she was 84 years old when she died. She left her museum for the education and enjoyment of the public forever Left a 3.6 million dollar endowment for continued museum operation, right that money make them money Also stipulated in her will that nothing in the galleries should be changed nothing no items acquired no items sold Today the rooms of the garden museum look exactly the way Isabella designed then before her death, minus the stolen paintings and two other items, of course, but where those paintings were, the frames do remain, waiting to have that artwork put back in them. Isabella's will said that if anything,

she'd be permanently changed. The collection was to be shipped to Paris for an auction and all the money should go to Harvard. However, in 2009, a Massachusetts court overruled the terms of Isabella's will to allow for an expansion as a museum A carriage house was demolished to allow for the renovation and that was finished in 2012 So other than that, it's the same and I wonder for ghosts now haunts the museum the ghost of Isabella pigfucker

That's a story we can tell on scared death And all seriousness the museum is reportedly very haunted After Isabella's death the museum directors lived on the fourth floor for over 60 years. But when Anne Holly became museum director in 1989, she chose not to live in that apartment and then a mere six months after Holly took office, the museum was robbed. Coincidence? I doubt it. I imagine whoever robbed the place saw this new opportunity quickly

and did not waste time to act on it. And then in 1990, bringing us now to the highest portion of this highest episode, 13 works of art were stolen from the museum. And now almost exactly 33 years later, as I record this, the theft is still unsolved. The Garden Museum, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office, all still seeking out leads today, and the Garden Museum Heist is still the single largest property theft in US history, and biggest art theft in the history of the world, at least the modern world. Some sites do say it's also the biggest heist of private property in the history of the entire world. I'm not so sure about that. It's a mighty big claim and hard to verify, but maybe. The Garden Museum currently offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen works thought

to be valued over 600 million by some art experts. The FBI valued the haul at 200 million at the time of the heist, then raised evaluation to 500 million a decade later in 2000. And part of the reward will be given in exchange for information leading to the restitution of any portion of the works. You don't have to have them all big payday weights, anyone able to find any of the paintings or a that ancient Chinese wine bottle of sorts and a separate $100,000 reward is being offered for the return of that Napoleonic Eagle finial.

If you have information about any of this, you can contact director of security, Anthony Amore, reward at Gardener Museum.org, where you can call 617-278-5114. And I would fucking love it. If somehow this podcast let us recover if he's painting. That would be the greatest time-sucker update of all time. And now let's begin our timeline of the Gardener Museum Heist. Right after today's mid-show, sponsor break. Thanks for here in our sponsors out. Hope you heard some good deals and now let's get into that heist

timeline. On June 27th, 1989 and Holly selected as the fourth director of the Garden Museum. She is the first female director and selected from approximately 100 candidates. Nice! And stepped down in 2015 after running the museum for 26 years. The previous director, Roland Van Hadley, retired back in 1988. After 18 years of museum, as mentioned previously, Holly chose not to live in the fourth floor apartment, the first director to do so. Why wouldn't she want to live there, I wonder?

Well, she was married with a child at home, and perhaps the fam is a whole, you know, just didn't want him. In the early hours of March 18, 1992, men now pull off the biggest biggest ice in history, modern history at least. Before we go over the theft itself, let's look at what they stole, you know, little extra art education in this one. Now that I'm qualified to teach that, but I can regurgitate a bit of what others who are qualified have talked. They took the concert by Johannes Vermeer, completed between 1663 and 1666. The Garden Museum now values this item alone at around

$250 million. The small painting just slightly more than two feet square. The Pixar Man and two women performing music and it was displayed back to back with GovArt Flanks landscape with obelisk on a small tabletop in the Gardner Museum's magnificent Dutch room, the room from which a lot of artwork stolen. The Vermeer generally considered the room from which a lot of artwork stolen. The Vermeer generally considered the rarest and most valuable of the lost treasures, at least partially because so few of Vermeer's paintings are known to exist. The current consensus is 37, but some scholars have doubts about the genuineness of three of them, so just 34, you know, universities agreed that they exist. The concert was both characteristic of Vermeer and also a little

uncharacteristic. At least nine other Vermeers include musical instruments, mostly in the hands of women, yet only three other surviving Vermeers include three figures. One is Christ in the house of Martha and Mary, the other two are Setna Bar and in a brothel. Vermeer was moderately successful in life as a Dutch artist, art dealer and art collector, but left his wife and kids in debt when he died. He fell into near total obscurity for over a century after his death and then was rediscovered in the 19th century.

And he's now considered a Dutch master on par with Rembrandt. I got to see one of his paintings in Amsterdam with the Rikes Museum years ago, the milk made, and his works really are striking, like a master of painting natural light falling on his subjects, incredible composition, and color choices.

Now for another Dutch master Rembrandt, several Rembrandt's were taken. The thief stole a lady and gentleman in black by Rembrandt Van Rijn, completed in 1633, saw some of his work in the National Gallery in London years ago, also awe-inspiring. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the history of arts, and the most important, if not the most important, in Dutch art history.

Rembrandt was much more heralded when he lived in Vermeer and was an art teacher for around two decades. Far more prolific than Vermeer. He was once believed to have produced well over 600 paintings, nearly 400 etchings, and another 2,000-ish drawings. Some modern scholars now think that the true number of his paintings might be closer to 300 than 600, still much more than the 34 works universally attributed to Vermeer. All of the Rembrandt's and Mrs. Gardner's collection were produced by the early 1630s when Rembrandt

was only 26 or 27 years old, though his sensitive self-portrait, which was not stolen dates from four years earlier. He already achieved a dazzling technical skill by that age. Rembrandt painted mainly couples, excuse me, many couples, some in very large formats, but the vast majority of these portraits are actually pendants. Two separate canvases, each picturing one member of the usually married couple. A lady and gentleman in black is probably Rembrandt's first double portrait, including both figures on the same canvas. It's impressively large over four feet high by some three and a half feet wide.

The clothing of the subject is rich with amazingly detailed lace work, especially the woman's the woman's elegant ruffled collar and lace cuffs. Dude must have had some teeny tiny brushes and a very steady hand. They also stole Christ in the storm of the sea of Galilee, another Rembrandt from 1633, four artworks to the right of the stolen lady and gentlemen in black, the Dutch room.

They're now hangs the empty frame of arguably the most famous of the missing paintings Christ in the storm on the sea of Galilee. An illustration of a passage in the New Testament. Book of Matthew, chapter 8, verses 23 through 26, and when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him, and behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea in so much that the ship was covered with the waves, but he was asleep, and his disciples came to him and awoke him saying Lord save us we perish And he say it's unto them. Why are ye fearful? Oh ye of little faith Then he arose and rebuked the winds in the sea and there was a great calm

This is one of Rembrandt's most dramatic and dynamic images the canvas just over five feet high More than four feet wide. It's a big one and you're watching figures being tossed about at sea at the height of a violent storm I feel like if I stared at this one long enough, I might actually get seasick. Like looks awful. Dark clouds, glower above, high waves are lashing at the boat. The wind is already torn the main sail in half. Jesus and his disciples are in the boat. Some of them are under state of panic.

Some of them are working to hold the boat together. One is leaning over the side of the boat about to vomit. One of them is staring out directly to the viewer, holding onto his cap with one hand, a rope with the other. There's a little word bubble painted coming out of his mouth and he is screaming, Jesus, take the wheel and drive. Come out! Well, there's not that.

In the midst of all this tumult, Jesus himself seems to be waking up from his nap, not to least be worried. Probably a little easier to keep calm and carry on when you know for a fact that having weights. When you know there's a hot hard heavenly father daddy up there above in the clouds, simply dripping an extra virgin olive oil waiting to receive you. Next another Rembrandt, portrait of the artist as a young man again from 1633, busy year

for that Dutch hard father daddy hot hard every year, a busy year from Rembrandt. Uh, this teeny tiny etching, and it is so small. It's an inch and three quarters wide by nearly two inches high. It's like a tiny little doodle. Uh, it's a Rembrandt marvel so much to tale in such little space. We know from his other self portraits and portraits of him by his students and other artists that this is what he must have looked like. He's not yet 30.

He's already successful, even famous artist and does nothing to flatter himself. He's, uh, you know, draws himself a little pudgy, little scraggly, his hair's tassled and unkempt. Looks very serious in a bill of sale. His etching is referred to as Rembrandt with three mustaches because he has a mustache on his upper lip. And then some hair on his chin looks a little mustache Shaped and even the brim of his cap seems to have a mustache as a fucking powerful dude three mustaches You don't see that much man and one man very often Next painting taking was another Dutch one

Landscape with obelisk painted by Govart Flink in 1638. I mentioned that a bit ago He created over 130 paintings in his lifetime, died a known, pretty successful artist. He was also a student of Rembrandt's, for a time. And for many years, this haunting little landscape he created was actually thought to be a Rembrandt. It's clearly this fucking copycat, hack piece of shit, study well. I don't actually think it was that. Oil painted on wood, this piece measures 21 inches high, 28 inches across. And for all of his time in the garden and museum, it was placed back to back as I said

with Vermeer's the concert. A little table near a window in the Dutch room. The major oddity in this painting is that the obelisk is, you know, the gift is the painting that's titled on this dark and stormy day. It is streaked by sunlight, almost gilded. Yet in perspective, it's much smaller than the huge humanoid, gnarled tree in the foreground. A large section of trunk has fallen to the ground, maybe struck by lightning.

Little man on horseback is talking to another little guy, sit on the road, cross the bridge on the other side of the river. There's a watermelon against a distant horizon, a kind of, you know, these, these butiwers over the fields and woods in front of it. The colors are mostly browns and grays. Bernard Baronson, that famous art historian that advised Mrs. Gardner, who we met earlier, called it a work of art of exquisite sweet pathos

and profound feeling. Also stolen, Shay Tortini by Edward Manet. Finally, not some stupid old Dutch dipshit, right? I'm not gonna get the Dutch. This French fuck, Manay. Finally, not some stupid old Dutch dipshit, right? I have nothing against the Dutch. This French fuck, Manay. Complete this stupid French bullshit around 1875. I also have nothing against the French. And Shay Tortoni, there we go. I don't think it's a time. And Shay Tortoni, a three-arm man drinks a glass of what looks like Apple juice or Apple cider or maybe some kind of champagne while

juggling three red apples from some guy named tortoni south. Manay loves sets of threes in his works. Tortoni watches through the window, one of three windows, you can see as he weeps in the distance way behind the house are three apple trees with no apples on them anymore. It is thought that tortoni cries because he is hungry and he wanted those apples and he feels anguish because they were his apples You know it's fucking his apple trees, but this three arms son of a bitch juggler doesn't care He's an asshole. He's gonna eat all of them. He's gonna drink all the juice and if Tortoni has a problem with that they can fight

They can fight three fists against two. I like those apples the juggler He's not actually thought to be a bad guy He just someone who loaned Tortoni some money and he didn't pay it back So you know there's interest and if you won't pay he's gonna get his apples picked It's as simple as that or he can sit in his house and he can cry like a little bitch, baby Tertoni is and has always been And he watched a three-armed man drink his fucking juice cider shampoo and stuff and juggle his apples and then eat him slowly But not swallow him. He doesn't even not even hungry He just wants to ruin this for Tortoni.

He's gonna spit him out in front of him and he's gonna stop him to shit in the dirt. And then he's gonna watch Tortoni, scrape him out of the dirt, wants to juggerna walks away a little bit. And he's gonna eat him like a little fucking cry baby piggy boy. That's one interpretation of this piece. That's my interpretation.

I'm the only one that has a one. Everyone else in the art world seems to think that the subject matter is a dapper, mustachio young man wearing a top hat, sitting in a cafe next to a sunlit window and he's riding something. At least one of his eyes is focused on you, the viewer, a wine glass is on the table. Probably doesn't hold a biscuit, tortoni, the specialty ice mousse associated with this cafe, because the wine is transparent. It's a real place. The brushstrokes are broad and tactile, and the pre-imprisonous realist master gets a lot of life from big swaths of paint. The small canvas slightly more than 10 by 13 inches.

Used to hang in the crowded little blue room on the first floor of the gardener. Manet, who was only 51 when he died, was in his 40s when he painted shaped tortoni. Manet, who was only 51 when he died was in his 40s when he painted Shade or Tony. Manet's known works comprise 430 oil paintings, 89 pastels, and more than 400 works on paper. Critics were harsh on him when he was alive referring to a lot of his work as having an unfinished aspect to it. In death, he has been heralded, regarded by many as the father of modernism, or father of modern art, or as a hot hard French father daddy covered in cheese and baguette crumbs.

Man, he was friends with an artist who had five works taken by the thieves Edgar DeGa a noted French impressionist who actually hated the term impressionist during his lifetime. Five different quote works on paper by Edgar DeGa between Between 1857 and 1888, we're stolen from cabinets in the short gallery, the passageway that leads into the large tapestry room on the gardener's second floor. They were stored with other prints and drawings and cabinets designed by Mrs. Gardner herself. Although he began as a painter of biblical

and historical scenes, Degas, like my name, who was two years a senior, became famous for his depictions of ordinary life. Most notably notably images of dancers, jockeys, horse jockeys, and racing horses. The loss of three drawings of scenes with horses is a significant one. The earliest of the images with horses, procession on a road near Florence is a drawing from around 1857, six by eight inches in pencil and a seepia wash that gives it an antique look.

The image is a small procession that shows that God in a more historical mode. There's some sort of carriage pulled by a pair of horses. One of the small but most arresting figures is a woman holding a large umbrella high above three women who seem to be dancing. And there's an antique view of Florence in the distance. Three mounted jockeys completed between 1885 and 1888 is a large,

less finished ink drawing, about 12 by 9 and a half inches. Some touches of oil paint. One of the jockeys, the most clearly visible is in a striking position on the horse leaning back with one foot in the stirrups. And the other leg stretched out around the horse's neck and has a huge cock. It's bigger than him or the horse combined. They got known for a huge cock. It's in a him or the horse combined. They got known for huge cock's in a lot of his small drawings. No. That would have been me and I would have got tossed out of an art class back then.

Like even if I had talents, I'm such an idiot. I probably would just be driving like big winters on people. They'd be like, get out of here. This is very prestigious. There are two jockies on the sketch page or harder to see because they're upside down. This is very prestigious. The other two jockeys on the sketch page are harder to see because they're upside down. Perhaps the most important of the stolen day gauze, day gauze, I just want to say gauze because there is an S. French. It's a small watercolor, data unknown, leaving the paddock. The P show's two horses and their jockeys lining up and being led into the tracks surrounded

by bystanders, quite a crowd for a picture only about a postcard size, four by six inches big. I guess it'd be a big postcard. The final two missing works by DeGa are a pair of 12x8 inch charcoal sketches from 1884. Both studies for a program for an artistic suaray. One a little more finished than the other. A square in the lower right hand corner is left blank, presumably the space for information about the suaray. The figures surrounding the empty space include a dancing couple pointing their toes, a woman in a tutu and toe shoes, a woman holding

bound pages in one hand. The everybody of a man in an 18th century hat and wig, saline ships and a harbor, two smoke stacks, belching smoke, a lot of shit and a little square. Heart potentially concealing a base fiddle behind it with the fiddle bow bow bow illusionistically drawn over the upper part of the blank square. And Dega was hated during his lifetime. He had a terrible habit of spitting while he talked, and he was a close talker. And if you dared to complain about the spittle getting on your face, spittle that was chronically built up in the corners of his mouth, he would call you a twat, and he would give you a

little bop on the top of your head. Not hard enough to injure you, but hard enough to water your eyes a bit and really upset you. And they guys, the guy who inspired the term, twat, popper. I'm sure you've heard that or said it yourself, you know, like, uh, check out that twat popper in the affliction t-shirt, uh, revenues, engine, the parking lot, like a 16 year old when he's clearly at least 50 fucking boomer ass twat, popper. Now, that was absurd. Uh, they got actually was pretty unlikable towards end of his life though. at least 50 fucking boomerass twat popper. Now that was absurd.

DeGa actually was pretty unlikable towards end of his life though. And all of his artist friends eventually parted ways with the eccentric argumentative man by the end of his life before he passed to the age 83. He became pretty openly anti-Semitic in addition to possessing other less than desirable qualities. Maybe didn't say twat popper, but was kind of a douche towards the end. Recognized as an important artist in his lifetime, DeGa, is now considered one of the founders of Impressionism. He completed a known 626 artworks, mostly pastel drawings, and oil paintings.

Finally, the thieves took two pretty random items. They stole a French bronze eagle finial from 1813 or 1814. And an ancient Chinese goo from between 1200 and 1100 BCE. Not sure on the pronunciation. I could not find a guide that worked for this, but it's just GU. Could be go. The Oxford dictionary defines a finial as an ornament at the top end or corner of an object. So this tenage tall bronze eagle was stolen from the gardener. It formed the decorative top of a flagpole. So the top of flagpole attached to a silk flag

from Napoleon's first regiment or Imperial Guard. First regiment of the Imperial Guard. The eagle stands proud with his wings spread almost glaring. Although they tried the thieves were unable to remove the entire flag, which was in a case screwed to the wall of the short gallery. So they finally settled just for the finial. The entire object hung in Mrs. Gardner's Beacon Streethouse before she built the museum. While the finial is gone, you know, the, yeah, the flag is still there. And then there is the goo or go according to the garden museum. There's 10 inch tall ancient Shang Dynasty bronze beaker was one of the oldest objects in the whole collection by far the oldest of the stolen objects.

Mrs. Gardner bought it in 1922 for $17,500, placed it in the Dutch room on a small table just to the right of the stolen Rembrandt seascape. The austere trumpet shaped cup of the beaker is supported by stem and base overwrought with more intricate interweaving. And all that is what was conservatively valued at $200 million by the FBI when the items were stolen. And then just 10 years later, some adjusted to $500 million, now valued at over $600 million. Most expensive private property theft in US history if not world history. And now let's look at how this shit got swiped Saturday, March 17, 1990, 1130 PM.

swiped. Saturday, March 17, 1990, 11.30 pm. This is St. Patrick's Day in Boston, Massachusetts, and not just St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day on a Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of people are undoubtedly getting fucked up within a few miles of the museum. Police are busy responding to all kinds of disturbances, fist fights, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, pissing the fucking street, you name it. I mean, had to have been a chaotic, you know, seen that night. Pretty good night to pick to go for this heist. It was also a beautiful day, unseasonably warm with the highest 70 degrees, you know, Fahrenheit still 56 degrees at midnight and around 50 degrees when the thieves kicked off their robbery.

At 11.30 the the two graveyard chief security guard show up for duty, 25 year old Randy Hestand and 23 year old Richard Rick Abath. And back in these two guys up is an outdated security system. Smithsonian magazines Nora McGrivy wrote in 2021 that by 1990, the museum security flaws were common knowledge among Boston's criminal elite, making it a bit of a sitting duck for a heist per the guardian. In addition to a dodgy security system, the museum is being guarded this night by two guys who are not very good at their jobs. Not very motivated. Arbeam paid very much, not being paid much more than minimum wage according

to sources, either 6.85 an hour or 7.35 an hour, sources I like best say 6.85 and that's equivalent to somewhere around 15, 16 bucks an hour today. We don't know a lot about Randy other than he was a student at New England's conservatory of music. We know that neither he nor Rick had any formal training in security. We do know a fair amount about Richard who went by Rick as I've mentioned, but I will mostly call him Dick This is the silly dick. I referred to it at the beginning of this episode This is this is the character here a dick had dropped out of the Berkeley school music shortly before the heist

He was playing in a local rock band called Yukaya Sometimes doing shows right before his shifts Here's a little snippet of a song from a ukai show from December 6, 1989. A ukai playing at Axis, a Boston club that is no longer around dick fucking rockin' the keyboards on this track and this is just a VHS recording. So apologize for the quality. I'm not even just doing covers and stuff, doing rituals, uh, by his own admission, dick with sometimes show up for a security guard work at the Gardener drunk or stoned. After you guys, he told us to the police just immediately.

Uh, his drugs and choice were quote, refer in hallucinogenics, but he also liked doing a little bit of blow. Fuck yeah, bro. Do that alleycock back in 89. He said, I'd be just getting off stage somewhere and just wanted to slow down Before I went to the most boring job in the world Sometimes you need to slow down other times you need to pep up a bit with a few bumps that notes can Dick would insist though that he was not drunk or stoned the night the items were stolen. No, no fucking way

Not on St. Patrick's Day in Boston Not on a Saturday night not a guy who admittedly regularly showed up to work fucked up on a lot of other nights. In a possible fourth-coming book, Dick has been writing about his perspective on the ice called Pandora's Laughter. He's been posting chapters and excerpts on Facebook for years. Dick wrote that just a few months prior to the Heist, he was tripping on mushrooms. The night of Christmas and let a buddy and another dude in to party with him inside the museum. He said that he and the other guard,

on name were both fucked up on gin and shrooms. He wrote my friend Ed showed up just before Don with someone we didn't know. An odd squirrely kid who seemed out of place and nervous. We trusted Ed, but had no idea who the other dude was. They got some mushroom tea with gin and a short tour tour. The next shift was going to show up soon. So he's taking a job real seriously. This other guy was anything like Dick. Some young musician having fun in Boston, taking an easy late night gig to pay rents, right? Randy,

they really had to fucking a team work in that night. Who was checking up on the night shift? Apparently no one. If anyone interested in pulling off a heist knew that this guy was one of just two security guards working the night shift that had to have boosted their confidence for a heist. I just dude, I am telling you, we can rob the shit out of that place. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art being guarded not at all by dick Abbott. Fucking dick from you. Kaya the keyboard player.

The dude I bought some acid off of a few months ago. Yes, that dick. He's the main security guard at night. Get the fuck out of here. Dude, I'm in my five year old niece could get past Abbott. I will learn more about dick a little bit later. Let's now take a detailed look at what exactly happened the night Dick and Randy got taken for a ride or at least tonight that one or both of them helped the museum get taken for a ride, right?

One or both of them could have been in on it. Okay, so again, Dick and Randy she have started 11 30 PM. Ricky Dick Abbath made the first rounds, Randy stated security desk on the museum to not have security cameras in the galleries, had them around the perimeter of the of the museum and had motion detectors inside the galleries. Outside the museum at 12.45 a.m. the morning of March 18th, Nancy Clowty and Justin Stratman, two high school students at the nearby Boston Latin School, oldest public school in the nation established in 1635. Holy shit. And just a three minute walk to the museum. Well, they see two men sitting in a car outside the museum. Some sources describe this car as a red hatchback. Others describe it as a red Dodge Daytona sports car. I really hope it was a hatchback. I would like the guys to have pulled off the biggest heights in US history in a hatchback. Nancy had plans

to meet up with her friends at night. She was on a palace road. The road that runs right past the museum and the street was dark and quiet. Nancy asked Justin for a piggyback ride. They started walking down the street. Justin sees the car with his lights on when he gets close to his people inside, two dudes sitting in the front seats. The glare from the street lamp obscured the view, but they could see the Boston police uniform on the shoulder of the clothing, at least what they thought was the Boston PD, you know, in signal. They thought that the officers were there to end a party they had been at, so they decided to keep on walking. Nancy remembered that the car was parked right next to the

Gardner Museum around nine minutes later, 12.54 a.m. morning of March 18th. A fire alarm goes off at the third floor of the museum. When Dick investigates, there's no fire. Whether or not this was part of the Thieves plan is still unknown. Perhaps Dick was testing out the security system for them. See what was working. Dick finished his patrol around 1 a.m. now switches places with Randy, not handy Randy. Plano Randy. At 1 24 a.m. Ricky Dick Abbot is sitting in security desk when two men dressed as Boston PD officers. That's how it was reported. At least, obviously, when I'm saying there later, approach aside entrance and buzz the desk asking to be let it. They said they were responding to a disturbance call. In 2013, Abath told a Boston Globe reporter, I could see that

they had their hats, coats, badges, so I buzzed them in. The disturbance call explanation made sense, according to Ab Abbas since there were all kinds of St. Patrick's Day celebrations going on in the neighborhood, right? Of course, a lot of people fucked up and what not as I mentioned. Abbas may have been one of them. Dick later said he cooperated pretty quickly

with the art thieves in part because he didn't want a risk getting arrested somehow. And also because he had tickets to a grateful dead show later that day in Hartford. Mm hmm. Uh, he will make that concert driving to it in a borrowed van. A source, uh, describes this as the umpteenth, umpteenth time. He will see them.

Of course, he still made it to the dead. Not after being tied up to our robbery. This dick character is fucking great. If he wasn't in on it, I can just, I can just picture his thought process. You know, he's, no, no, I'm not. You know, just, no, no, I'm not supposed to let him in. No, no, I'm not gonna let him in. Oh, but wait, what if they arrest me for like, disabain them or something and then, oh, dude, like no debt. And what if I hear like the dead play dark star and I miss it?

No, no, I can't risk it. I have to lo live in right now. Buzz and the officers in through the employee entrance violating museum protocol. Dick was supposed to notify the head of security if the officers insisted on coming in before operating hours or at least ensure they had a warrant to be on the premises. I have a later said he was unaware that the museums do not let anyone in at night ever for any reason policy extended the law enforcement. Even if he had been aware, would he have said no?

This is a dude who let in some guy he didn't know to fucking drink mushroom tea in the museum on Christmas. A few sources said he also let in some friends on another occasion for a New Year's Eve party. You dude, come on over, man. I got some good acid, man. This shit looks so much better when you're tripping. Will this do some dead?

It'll be fucking great. I actually would love to go overnight in the museum on acid. You fucking get me? Also in August of 2015, Security Camera footage goes public showing dick, letting an unidentified man in the museum the night before the heist. So he didn't give a shit about the don't let anyone in rule. He let some dude the night before the heist and the same door the officers came in a man in a waist length coat, upturned collar.

The man is first shown on security tape tape that had been enhanced backing up his car to museum side entrance, the led directly to the guard station steps out of his car, buzzes the door on tape. Dick is seen admitting the man in greeting him briefly, reviewing a small document the man brought with him. The pair then out of sight for several minutes before the man walks back out. And Dick never thought to mention this dude, identity still unknown publicly, an interview after interview in the first decade plus following the heist.

Dick went asked about this guy, said he didn't remember him. Uh huh. Was he too fucked up to remember him? Does he know so much more than he has let on? What are we gonna do with this dick? He also let that do it in when the security officer working with him that night was out walking his rounds. Right.

The guy only said a few minutes or the other security guard never even knew that someone had been let in. Dick is big time sus. Back to 1.24 am on the 18th. Dick lets in. Two guys dressed like Boston PD to the side door because he thinks they're cops and because he's dick and He'll let almost anyone in and he wants to make sure he can go to the fucking grateful dead Once inside one of the two man tells dick according to the answers he later gave police that he looks familiar

Dic is sitting in his security desk the only place in museum equipped with a panic button that if pushed Will send a message to the police to have them come over immediately. The officer then tells Abbott that he thinks he knows why he looks familiar. He thinks he has a worn out for Dick's arrest. And then Dick and some kind of attempt to clear this case of mistaken identity up. Maybe he does think he has warrant out for him. He gets up from his desk when the officer tells him to stand up against the wall. I can see him, you know, assuming that he was high when he got the ticket and just forgot

about it. The officer tells him to put his hands behind his back. He does as he's asked and is promptly handcuffed moments after he's handcuffed trying to figure out what's going on. Randy Hess-Tan walks into the security office. Some sources say that that Rick, Rick Dick called him in there before they handcuffed him. So Randy's fresh off around of checking the building's three museum floors.

Randy later told Boston radio station WB. You are, I'm just standing there with my jaw open going, wow, what's going on? What did Rick do? Randy now also asked to stand against the wall. He does as he's told and his handcuffed. And Randy, just like Dick, not really trained as a security guard. They don't know what the fuck is happening. Or, you know, one or both of them are in on it.

Dick later says that after the handcuffed him, that's when he realized, oh shit. This is his quote too. Oh shit. These guys might not be police officers. Moments after realizing this, one of the two thieves says, this is a robbery. Don't give us any problems and you won't get hurt. then Randy says don't worry they don't pay me enough to get hurt. These two guards weren't in on this.

The guys who did rob the place must have either known how fucking terrible these two were at their jobs or they hit the all time jackpot when it came to get lucky with a with two really shitty museum security guards. Rick and Randy's heads are now wrapped up with a bunch of duct tape and they're taken to the basement. And it's so weird how they were like taped up or at least how Ricky Dick was taped up in books on cable news reports and a newspaper accounts following the highest and a lot of TV, you know, kind of coverage.

The guards have been very see described as having been gagged, almost gagged, left nose holes for breathing, as well as having their mouths taped shut, taped around their mouths and ears and everything. And it seems as if that was true for Randy, but not for Ricky Dick. Museum security director Anthony Amore will say in 2015 that Abbott remained taped up for evidentiary reasons. Officers wanted a Boston PD photographer to document how the thieves had taped him up. So you know, like after the officers, you know, find him and rescue him.

They're like, okay, we got to leave you like that until the photographer gets there. The guy takes some photos. Those photos are later made available to the public. And you can find them online and they wrap tape under his jaw and like circled up, like up around his head. And then they did another row of tape, like wrapping it around his head and then they did another row of tape like wrapping it around his head perpendicular to the first band kind of going around his nose. And no tape over the mouth, no tape over his eyes, like I don't even know what the fucking

point of the tape they put on him was. In March of 2017, Amora will say that Randy was gagged. Why was one guy gagged and the other was not? That's never been properly explained. Also very odd while Randy was handcuffed to a sink, Ricky Dick was just left to sit on a concrete ledge, not tied to anything. Like why not tie both of them up to something?

Why let the guy who can fucking see and scream be the one to also be able to walk around or kind of walk around. He did have duct tape wrapped around his ankles, tying his legs together, but still I feel like he could have gotten out of that, you know, before the police came. Randulators said regarding the dude who had tied him up, he was real calm and real nice about it. And he also several times said, sorry to have to do this. So strange. The robbers are now thought to have split up based on motion detector reports, primarily going to the second floor to grab some art on the second floor. One of them sets off

an internal alarm that alarm is used to alert staff, but someone got too close to the artwork. The robbers find this noisy alarm and smash it to shit. Motion detectors that the thieves did not locate or destroy show that the thieves spent 34 minutes in the galleries taking what they took. 228 AM, the two thieves check in on Rick and Randy. Then they head to the security directors office take the VHS tape of anything the security cameras have picked up to go destroy it. They're not wearing masks easy to understand why they would want or not want anyone to see their faces other than the guards. I was kind of surprised that the guards see their faces, but I'm guessing that they didn't want to be seen approaching the museum side door, you know, the outside door in masks that would

kind of blow their cop cover. That would possibly lead to a witness calling the cops before they even got inside the building. And they may have also had fake mustaches and other, you know, disguise elements on their face at 245 a.m. the two thieves leave the museum and hop in either a red sports car or a red hatchback. Again, I really hope they put it away in a little forced undercar with hundreds of millions of dollars of art in the back shitty seat. Before leaving, they reportedly told the guards, you'll be hearing from us in about a year. Ricky Dick and Randy were now trapped in the basement for almost six hours, but you know, only kind of trapped. If, uh, you know, uh, Dick is not fully tied

up, which is not. Why didn't he try and get the tape off his legs? The tape didn't cover his eyes, you know, if he could have made it over to a phone, he could have figured out how to call the police somehow would even have to use his hands. The morning shift security guards find these two all stars around 815 and call the police. Karen, San Gregory was one of the morning shift guards. She was later interviewed about coming into work that morning She said that one of the guards normally buzzed her in but nothing was happening that morning, which was unusual She called the chief security told him that she and her coworker couldn't get in and he showed up just a minute later Took them around a back door. They went inside immediately knew something was wrong

She said the cameras were turned the office door was busted. There was an empty frame in the office It's crowbar leaning against the wall chief handed care in the crow crowbar or told her to hold it in case you needed to defend herself. They were not packing guns. Then he picked up the phone and called the police. Karen said it seemed like all he could say was I'm calling from the Garden Museum. We've got big trouble. We've got big trouble. The police arrived quickly. They don't immediately know where Rick and Randy are and then they find him in the basement tied up but unharmed. The police and some additional museum employees now assess the damage. The surprise the burglar's also left behind one of the most if not the most expensive piece of art

right that Tissians rape of Europa. Maybe too big measure 70 by 81 inches, a bit bigger even than Rembrandt's Christ in the storm of the sea of Galilee. Maybe just a bit big to fit in that hatchback. The small 10 by 13, Manet painting was taken from a downstairs gallery, last entered by Rick Abbath. The last painting believed to be taken and the only one from the first floor. It was cut out of the frame and the frame in question was left on a chair in the security director's office. I'll explain later what I mean about Rick being the last one there.

Robert M. Poole of the Smithsonian magazine has stated that the random assortment of stolen works has confused investigators, writing what continues to perplex those investigating the Gardner mystery, as it no single motive or pattern seems to emerge from the thousands of pages of evidence gathered over the past 15 years. Where the works taken for love, money, ransom, glory, barter, or for some tangled combination of them all. Tron Brecke, a section chief FBI Boston, one of the first FBI agents on the scene, spoke about the heist and the Netflix. This is a robbery document series.

Brecke or Brecke was confident that this was not some crime of opportunity. He believes that someone or a few someone's definitely planned this all out. Based on the work stole and it mostly seems like they had information about what to look for. But that Napoleonic finial was confusing. Why was that relatively worthless item taken out of all the prices art that could be taken? Just random impulse? Why was the Chinese beaker stolen compared to the other works in the museum? It didn't have nearly as much value. And as I mentioned, why did the thieves leave behind Titians the rape of Europa? And they left behind a Rembrandt self-portrait.

Also the tiny Rembrandt etching, that portrait of the artist as a young man, that little three must-dash piece less than two by two inches, it was in a fucking tiny ass frame, but someone still took the time to unscrew the frame and only take the etching. Why do that? And many of the works were not only very valuable, but also very well-known, so much so that they couldn't easily be sold. Agents wondered if perhaps some wealthy individual hired the thieves to take it for their own private collection.

The police were initially suspicious of the guards. Not just Dick and Randy. Well, they're mostly suspicious of fucking Ricky Dick. How could they not be? But also suspicious of various other guards. Many of the guards in the museum at that time were in their late teens or early 20s. Many were art students from local schools. It was a high turnover rate. It could have been a current employee or a former one. Maybe someone who used to work there really knew how much of an idiot dick was. And that gave them the confidence to pull off a major heist.

According to the Boston Globe, two current guards and a former guard who worked the noon to 5 p.m. shift said that they were only ever trained on the job and just over a five day period. Again, no formal training. Said they mostly just watched videos about recognizing and dealing with situations that could lead to the theft or damaging of artwork. Night shift guard were sometimes taken from the day shift and given some sort of additional training, but not always.

The guard interviewed didn't even know what that training was. The Globe also reported the director of training William Herman, extensively works with new guards to ensure that they have good knowledge of the Fenway facility, end of the rules and procedures in place there. Aaron Fannon, a former guard at the museum, said in the Netflix documentary series, if you got a call to work overnight, you were happy to do it. It was kind of a treat.

All the lights were turned off at night, guards had their flashlights and a walkie talkie that made the rounds in the museum, then sat at a desk just to kind of wait for something to happen. But almost nothing ever happened. I bet that ship was a good way to get paid to sleep a bit, maybe read a book, do a little homework, listen to some tunes.

Abath was, of course, quickly pegged as the primary suspect by local law enforcement for a variety of reasons He had let people in before He withheld information about you know letting people in he admitted to showing up to work drunk or high He had money problems due to the bar of van to make it to that grateful dead Concentred the day, you know after the heist or I guess technically later in the day of the heist He regularly works a night shift. He just seemed fucking shady He wasn't handcuffed to anything. He was the one who left the two thieves in and on and on and on. To this day, it seems like the only debate concerning Abbott is, is he an art thief or is he just a fucking idiot? If not

Abbott, investigators thought there was a good chance, another guard or former guard or multiple guards or former guards had something to do with the robbery. Heist at this level, usually needed an inside source of the thieves, know what alarms to avoid setting off, et cetera. The Boston Globe reported, the thieves exhibited working knowledge of the museum security system by removing videotape cassettes that would have shown their faces and movements. Such knowledge would suggest inside knowledge of the museum's security apparatus, a security specialist set. Now, or more fact, or just dick told them whatever they wanted here. Abath, of course, denied involvement in the heist and he has been generally cleared,

although not totally cleared as a person of interest since 2015. Abbott told NPR in 2015, I was just this hippie guy who wasn't already anything. Wasn't on anybody's radar the next day. I was on everybody's radar for the largest art, art, heist and history. He's pretty funny as he's saying that too. He's still got like super long hair and he's wearing a tight IT shirt. Uh, he Richard Abbott gave the following statement about how the robbers tricked him, which was played in the first episode of Netflix is, uh, this is a robbery. I can see in the security camera that they're look like two cops standing out there.

They came to the door, they rang the bell and they said, Boston police, we got a report of a disturbance on the premises. I buzz them in. They asked me if I was alone, and I said that, no, my partner was off doing a round. They said, get him down here. The cop turned to me and said, don't I know you? Don't I recognize you? I think there's a worn out for your rest.

Can you step out from behind the desk? And they said up against the wall, the guy who was dealing with me was taller and skinny. He was wearing these gold frame round glasses if I remember correctly. He had a mustache. It looked really greasy. He was probably a fake mustache. And handcuffed me, cuffed my partner, very dramatically said, gentlemen, this is a robbery. The first aspect was described as the white male early 30s,

about 510, 160 pounds, dark hair, gold wire room glasses. Second suspect described as the white male as well. Early 30s, about six foot with dark hair, gold wire room glasses. Second suspect described as a white male as well, early 30s, about six foot with dark hair. Most of the description came from Randy because Dicks, especially hours after it happened, all of a sudden couldn't remember what those guys looked like. He's memory got a little better years on out after the statute of limitations right now. I picture him checking his watch, turning interrogation and doing the math in his head about how much of that dead show he's gonna miss. If this all takes too long, right? Just, oh yeah, what do you look like? Oh man, oh man.

Hey, oh, hey, have you ever heard Stella Blue live? Or like, and we bid you good night? Who? Oh, the dead man. What? Oh, yeah, two, uh, two white dudes, uh, dark hair, maybe. Um, one of them, one of them had glasses like a wire frame and a, uh, Jerry Garcia, he, oh man, he wears glasses, easy win, man. God, I hope they play easy win. Come on, dude. Uh, Addy, more suspicion, Ricky Dick finished his rounds about 25 minutes before the thieves came to the door and were let inside. Somebody took the printout paper from the museum alarm system that logged movement data from the motion detectors,

but the data was stored in the system's hard drive. The shade Tortoni, a shade Tortone! Well, it's the only piece taken from the first floor in the blue room, and sensors logged, Ricky Dick's, Ricky Dick's, Abath's going into that room. It at 12, 27 a.m., and again at 12, 53, when he's doing his rounds. And then he went to sit down at the desk at almost exactly27 a.m. and again at 12.53 when he's doing his rounds. And then he went to sit down at the desk at almost exactly 1 a.m.

Based on motion detection, alarm system data, the robbers never entered the room after arriving. So this means that there was either an unexplained system malfunction on the first floor or someone took the painting before or after, you know, the robbers were in the area or after the police got there possibly. So was this a crime of opportunity? Something that at the very least Dick might have fucking swiped that man Abe and like, well, fuck, you know, they don't know exactly what the guys took compared to what I took.

There's no security cameras in here and just grabbed himself a little painting. Oh man, I can, I can buy so many dead tickets for this. This is going to be so great. March 19th, 1990, Boston Globe article says, act acting curator, Karen Haas says that the $200 million FBI initial estimate for the stolen artwork is conservative and that the worth of the art could be

in the hundreds of billions of dollars. It is so hard to ever determine an exact value. Since you never know who might show up at an auction, if you do sell it, you can't precisely determine how the bid's gonna go. I mean, this is art that's considered priceless by many. Some of the pieces stolen have not been for sale. Excuse me. In over a century, again, the value to private collectors is, you know, never totally known.

Now the value of the works taken, you know, again, believe to be around 600 million. Initially law enforcement were trying to learn whether the robbery was staged for ransom or intended to get the art for a private collector, private investigators and art experts, experts theorized that the works were probably contracted for in advance by a black market collector outside of the country. This is Pearl the Boston Globe. The specific works taken indicate that one particular buyer's taste may have been indulged. Somebody who likes a lot of French, quite a bit of Dutch, little bit of ancient China.

March 19th Museum, spokesperson, Barry Wenger. Yes, Wenger, not Wagner, Wenger. Mr. Wenger announced that really unfortunately, the art had not been insured for theft. Wenger said that the cost of the theft insurance would have been exorbitant, and probably would have cost more than their $2.8 million annual operating budget.

Additionally, yeah, it was just too expensive to ensure. Additionally, there was a disturbance outside the museum two weeks before the robbery. Investigators are trying to determine if the thieves staged that disturbance to try and get inside the museum. At least three people participated in the disturbance outside the museum in the early morning hours. One person beat on the security door, same one the thieves entered through pleaded to be led into escape attackers. When the guard refused to allow the man in, the man got into a car with his supposed attackers and they all drove off together. Uh, surprise they weren't let in. Dick must have not been working that night.

Two men posthons, police officers had also attempted to enter a Boston museum of fine arts two months earlier on January 15th. The museum was closed from Martin Luther King day, according to MFA chief of security William McCullough, they asked one of our guards to let them in that they were responding to a call. And our guard said, I'm going to have to get my supervisor. And when he did, the cops quote unquote left. The MFA was trying to determine if those guys were really police officers or not, or if

they were possibly the same thieves that tried that did take, you know, the art from the gardener later, they've never figured that out. Or if they have, they haven't said anything publicly. March 20th, 1990, a million dollar reward is offered by the museum. First information leading to the safety turn of the stolen works. And Holly, again, that museum director said that the reward would be guaranteed by Sotheby's and Christie's of New York, and unidentified private benefactors are willing to contribute. So maybe more than a million. Sounds like the pot was getting sweetened. All she also announced that none of the staff were questioned as suspects. But come on, Dick was for sure a suspect. Still is. Holly also said that the reward would be paid out. No questions asked even if the information

came from the thieves themselves. The FBI said that the frames from the missing artworks had been sent to their Washington, DC lab for analysis and a Boston police sketch artist was working on composites of the robbers. Hopefully they didn't use too much of Dicks information for the composite. I picture just based on Dicks description, one of the robbers happening to look exactly like Jerry Garcia. And the other guy looks exactly like Bob Weir. Just whoa, whoa, man, these guys, oh, whoa,

they look like they're dead, man. Hey, you ever heard China Cat Self-Rider live? Rolling right into, I know you, Ryder. Oh, it's like God's playing music, man. Agents continue an interview museum personnel, anyone connected to the museum. Investigators receive many tips, some of them highly credible,

but we're unable to find the thieves. As the days, months and years passed, the case only became more difficult to solve, receive many tips, some of them highly credible, but we're unable to find the thieves. As the days, months and years passed, the case only became more difficult to solve. And then the statute of limitations for this robbery ran out in 1995. That's wild to me. Just five years. Right, you can steal all this shit. And then if you can keep it hidden for five years, you can just give it back and they

give you $1 million. And then the reward has increased to $5,000,000, 1997. So if you hold it for two more years, you get four more million. That is some nice appreciation for some theft. March 18, 2013, the FBI, the museum, and the US Attorney's Office of Massachusetts publicly restate that the $5,000 reward is active at a press conference

on the 23rd anniversary of the Heist, Special Agent in charge of the Boston Field Office, Richard got another dick. The lawyers said today we are pleased to announce that the FBI has made significant investigative progress in the search for the stolen art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. We've determined in the years after the theft

that the art was transported to the Connecticut and Philadelphia regions, but we haven't identified where the art is right now. And that's why we are asking the public for help. So did you make significant transported to the Connecticut and Philadelphia regions, but we haven't identified where the art is right now. And that's why we are asking the public for help. So did you make significant investigative progress? It sounds to me like you made no progress. Good news, everyone. Several years ago, we were able to narrow down where the pieces of art are.

They were either somewhere on the state of Connecticut or perhaps around Philadelphia, possibly spread out between both of those areas. So are you narrowing down the location then and have a good chance of finding it? Oh, no, God no, wow, we don't have a clue where it is now. We're just pretty happy that we used to kind of maybe know where it was. Fuck, that matter. A special agent, Jeff Kelly,

and charge the FBI investigation said, with these considerable developments and investigation over the last couple of years, it is likely over time someone has seen the art hanging on a wall, placed above a mantle or stored in an attic. We want that person to call the FBI. Yeah, shit, yeah, get that $5 million.

Anthony Mori, chief of security for the museum, explained the museum again, offered that $5 million reward, for information that leads directly to the recovery of all of our items in good condition. What that means is that you don't have to hand us the paintings to be eligible for the reward. We hope that through this type of public campaign,

people see how earnest we are in our attempts to pay this reward and make our institution whole. And it is interesting for this institution because they can't just replace that either with their endowment, right? The way that the will is stipulated, they're supposed to just, you know, not procure more art. So it just does leave a hole in their, you stipulated, they're supposed to just, you know, not procure more art.

So it just does leave a hole in their, you know, what they're able to show. Late March 2015, the FBI releases the names, the two main suspects long believed to be the guys who stole the art. George, it's rice, it's a rice filter. George rice filter and Leonard Demusio, also known as Lenny. Both men resemble initial police sketches. However, they both also died within about a year of the heist, just a little over the year. So this does not help much concerning the current whereabouts of the pieces.

But as you'll see after the timeline, these two dudes were connected to some mob dudes who were connected to more mob dudes, et cetera. So maybe they could through investigating these guys can find out where the art eventually ended up. And it does seem that the mob was involved. Ricky Dick, Cherry Garcia might have helped and the two fake police dudes might have been working with likely mafia associates and even other dead. This could all like, yeah, again, lead to find it. The two men were part of the Carmelo Marlino crew. Marlino was a local mob guy. First mention is being connected

to the case in 1992. Rice Felder was described as a career criminal that had been cleared of a murder charge 1982 with the help of his lawyer, former Secretary of State, John Kerry, presidential candidate. Rice Felder died of a cocaine overdose in July of 2001. And then a demuzia was shot to death in East Boston the previous month and what looked like a mob hit. And then Carmelo Morelino, he died to diabetes four years later in 2005. More on this crew in a bit. March or excuse me, May 23rd, 2017, the $5 million reward is doubled to $10 million. The museum set an oppressed release.

The increased offer is available immediately in tires and it's excuse me, and expires at midnight on December 31st, 2017 After the announcement about the increase reward dozens of tipsters called chief security entity more But most of them had only unsubstantiated theories however He did say that some callers were credible and helped fill in some blanks I'm already told in New York times. I have a better picture of what happened where they moved perhaps But not a better sense of where they are right now So still nothing.

In 2017, the FBI announced that it sent a crime scene evidence to the lab for retesting, but the duct tape and handcuffs used to restraining the guards disappeared. Three people familiar with the investigation formed the Boston Globe with the FBI lost the items. Can't find them. Whoops. Two people said the items have been missing.B.I. lost the items. Can't find them. Whoops. Two people said the items have been missing for over 10 years. F.B.I. spoke, woman, Kristen Satera said that the F.B.I.

completed DNA analysis of some evidence in 2010, but did not say what items were tested or what the results were. January 2018, the museum board of trustees votes to extend the $10 million reward for this successful return of the 13 works of art. President of the Garden Museum's board, Steve Kitter said, this reward demonstrates the commitment of the museum and its board of trustees to the recovery of these important works. We are the only buyer for these works and they belong and they're rightful home. To this day, no one has given the information necessary to claim the reward though.

None of the items have been recovered. Again, as I mentioned just before the timeline, that reward, you know, still being offered. Yeah, according to Museums website, gardenemuseum.org, it says, Museums offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen works. A share of the reward would be given in exchange for information leading to the restitution of any portion of the works, a separate reward of $100,000 being offered for the return of that Napoleonic Eagle Finial. Any more information about the stolen artwork

should contact the Gardening Museum directly. Confidentiality is assured. You just contact Anthony Morei, Director of Security, call him 617-278-5114, or email him, rewardatgardeningmuseum.org. And so that as I record this episode, yeah, that reward is still very active. And that takes us out of this timeline.

Good job, soldier. You've made it back. Barely. BAM! Now let's look into the list of primary suspects. We will start with Ricky Dick. But then we will move on to a bunch of mob guys, mob associates and some random outliers.

But first, one of my favorite sponsors returns, after being away for far, far too long, today's time stock is brought to you by Wipple Chill, Ricky Dick's Mushroom T-Editian. Hey man. Got a long night ahead of you with the museum. With a library. Or just, uh, anywhere man.

Sometimes life, which just comes out here, too fast. Sometimes you're, you're just too hyped. From keyboard with the band or something, you know? When you want to shift out of the fast lane and stop and smell the roses, drink Whipple, a chill. Get low with the new elevator music, museum melatonin flavor of Whipple a chill And yeah, baby as jazz you can listen to it

Don't call 1-800-Gin jazz baby dementia jazz maniac that I know thing Whipple a chill Whipple, a chill, rickidick's mushroom tea edition is totally safe and made with a patent pending FDA approved dish formula of 30% opioids, 40% whatever's in NICEL, 30% valium baby, 25% saxophone in the air, another 25% Xanx, 30% warm milk, 2% lavender, essential oil, 3% CBD cream, 14% massage lotion from this lady who lives down the street calls herself Moon Goddess. Seven percent Kenny G Swebaby, 18 percent horse tranquilizers, 20 percent camel meal tea, 10 percent melatonin. And another 50 percent mushroom tea baby.

Don't worry about you, your family getting fucked. Just come sit on this here cloud and calm down. Feel like a unicorn getting hugged by a rainbow. Maybe see a unicorn getting hugged by a rainbow when you drink a Whipple. Chill. Rickid Dicks. Mushroom tea edition baby.

Whipple chill is owned and distributed by Bear Evil Incorporated. Well, all right. That sounds like a great way to wind down at the end of the day. Good for Ricky Dick. Speaking of Ricky Dick, Rick Abbott again has never been officially crossed off the list of suspects. Possible he stole the Manet painting, but didn't steal the other paintings as I mentioned right perhaps you for the thieves showed up thieves he may have been helping he went and grabbed that

Maybe that was his payment for helping out or maybe after the thieves fucking left and he's you know Got some time there to pretend to be all tied up. Maybe he goes takes that hides it Reps himself back up and then waits for the police Or he was just a spaced out hippie that actual criminals took advantage of or that. Anthony Moria stated that the man is emblematic of the whole investigation. The deeper and deeper you dig, the more questions are raised. If Dick did take the artwork or was paid to help, he assured on a good job of hiding his involvement for a guy who doesn't seem real smart. As a 2020 Abbott was working as a teacher's aid in Vermont and picks he he does not look like a guy's

showing a money. I'll say that. He looks like a dude still borrowing vans to go to concerts. Maybe dead and co instead of the grateful debt now. He's still wearing tie-dye t-shirts as I mentioned. Still has the basic same look as he had when he was playing with Yukai. Looks like he still lives in a cloud of weed smoke and psychedelics. In the fall of 2012, federal prosecutors grilled Abath about why he was detected by the motion sensors on the first floor when the thieves were not. Why he opened the site entrance door minutes before the robbers arrived. Right. So 20 minutes before right then thieves approached the door. I don't think I mentioned that right after completing his rounds,

Rick opened and closed that door quickly just before he switched spots with his partner. Abath later explained I did it to make sure for myself that the door was securely locked. But I don't know what the others did, but I was trained to do it that way. Oh, dick, he sounds so suspicious constantly. And that's because I wonder if he was testing the door to make sure it didn't set off a crazy alarm

before he then opened it again later for the fake officers. Abbott said the security logs would show he tested the door on other nights. But yeah, maybe also again prepping for the robbery. In March of 2013, Abbott spoke publicly with the Boston Globe to try and profess his innocence again. Excuse me, he said that he opened the doors for the fake officers that fateful night because he was intimidated by those two men. And he pointed out that he has passed two polygraphs.

And he admitted he can't explain why the motion dissensors detected footsteps when he was in the room on the first floor where the man A was taken, but not when the thieves were in that room. I have a said in an interview, I totally get it. I understand how suspicious it is. But I don't understand why investigators think that I should know an alternative theory as to what happened or why it did happen Uh two more hmm situations with dick before we move on for a while before the high slow on cash

She had monthly keg parties to make extra money, right typical kind of college party shit by keg Sell red solo cups for five bucks each to anyone who wants one all they can drink Some of the guys of these parties were fellow gardener employees And they often apparently openly talked about how inadequate the security system was and Abathas said could someone who had friends who were robbers or in the underworld have heard us complaining about how awful the security system was Absolutely, we were talking about it in the open all the time. Why would you do that? But did I know someone picked it up and used it to rob the place? I was gonna, it just, but it's so fucking dumb. We were doing that all the time.

That is, if your job is security, you're working in security, and then your free time, you're just like, man, someone could sure rob the shit out of where I work. Ha, ha, easy, any time they want. Our security system is shit at the place that I work where I'm fucking drunk and high all the time I don't know if I was someone else. I'd sure robbed the fuck out of me like who is this guy?

I don't know. Maybe some office associates. I heard about security problems Thanks to these cagars somehow and last thing Abbot had put in his two weeks notice apparently just before the robbery Again, hmm now enough about silly dick What other suspects are there? Well, a bunch of organized crime guys mainly. The FBI got close to figuring out where the artwork was, allegedly and who stole it in 2003, when they heard from reliable sources that two mobsters exchanged some of the artworks in a parking lot in Maine, but they don't know what happened after that. And now there are some theories that the art is in Europe. Charlie Hill retired art and antiquities investigator with Scotland Yard believes that the art is in Ireland right

now. He'll became a private investigator after 20 years with Scotland Yard and help recover famous works like the scream in the past. Right. Let's summarize that real quick. That painting has actually been stolen twice and recovered. Hill helped with the first recovery. February 12, 1994, opening day, the winter Olympics in Lilliehammer, Norway. That morning, a couple of hours drive to the south and the nation's capital of Oslo, two men stole Edward Munch's infamous painting Edward the scream for the national gallery for party Olympic festivities, the 1893 portrait of a panic attack had been moved from where it usually hung down to a gallery on the second floor.

The thieves scaled a ladder, actually fell, climbed back up. We're able to break a window and then swiftly retrieve the painting and then they left a note before they made their departure that read thanks for the poor security. It's pretty funny. The following month the ransom of one million US dollars was demanded, but the National Gallery refused to pay. Instead the Norwegian authorities set up a joint sting operation with Britain's Metropolitan Police's covert operations The following month, the ransom of $1 million US dollars was demanded, but the National Gallery refused to pay. Instead, the Norwegian Authority set up a joint sting operation with Britain's Metropolitan Police's covert operations group.

And Los Angeles is J Paul Getty Museum, security team. Charles Hill was one of the British detectives responsible for the retrieval of the scream. He posed as an American art dealer buying the Getty Museum or buying, excuse me, for the Getty Museum. And he was able to trick the thieves pretty quickly and to show him the pain and then law enforcement went and did the rest to recover it once they knew where it was. With the Gardner theft, Hill first claimed that infamous Boston mobster and definite future suck subject, why do Bulger require the paintings?

And then gave the stolen works to the IRA, which allegedly has trafficked stolen art in the past. Why was Hill suspicious of Bulger? Well, in 1998, the public and Hill learned that the Boston FBI office had a long partnership with Wadi Bulger, a major Boston crime boss, an FBI informant. Bulger and his associates helped the FBI bring down a leading Italian crime family in Boston and Bulger was offered protection for doing so. Bulger had paid guys on the FBI, would be warned about upcoming wire taps

and was protected from being investigated by other agencies. Hill thinks he was one of the few guys in the Boston area at the time who could have pulled off, getting the art out of the area and sold without getting caught. He had the clout, the protection, and the connections. Charles Hill spoke to the Smithsonian back in 2005 and said, the paintings are in the west of Ireland

and the people holding them are a group of criminals. About the hardest, the most violent, and the most difficult cases you are ever likely to encounter. They have the paintings and they don't know what to do with them. All we need to do is convince them to return them. I see that as my job. He said that he believed the boulders shipped the paintings to Ireland between 1990 and 1995,

saying being extremely clever, knowing that he could negotiate the paintings for money or for a bargaining chip, he took them. Only Bulger could have done it at that time. Only Bulger had the bureau protecting him. Moving the pictures was easy. Most probably in a shipping container with no explosives or drugs for a dog to sniff, he thought Ireland meant safety for him and the museum staff. He'll added he went to Ireland hoping to hide out there when they threw him out the hung on to his things not knowing what to do with them

He'll said that he was in delicate negotiations that could lead him to the paintings Saying I have someone who says he can arrange for me to visit them if you will forgive me I would rather not tell you their names right now But then the art was not found it still wasn't found six years later After Bulger Santa Monica arrest in 2011 after his 16 years on the run came to an end. He'll now change his theory and claim that Bulger was peripherally involved, maybe. He now stated, he believed that two thieves, loosely affiliated with the IRA, but not acting on his behalf, came from Ireland to commit the theft. Hill told Bloomberg in 2020, two clues jump out of me. One, the crime happened,

the night of St. Patrick's Day. That seems absurd to me. I mean, it's probably Irish guys. I mean, because it happened on St. Patrick's Day, and who steals on St. Patrick's Day? The Irish, they'll do anything on St. Patrick's Day. And then two, one of the robbers used the word mate when he died of the security guards.

That's not a word American's Day. All right, This guy doesn't impress me. He has impressive resume, but this does not impress. A former guard though, Randy Hestan, he wrote to Bloomberg in an email following this article and stated that although one of the thieves did use the word mate, he said, I'd never had any reason to think they were from outside North America. Hestan still believes they were American or Canadian based on how they sounded. Nevertheless, according to Hill, a man named Martin the Viper Foley, a protégé of IRA affiliated criminal Martin Cahill, is for sure a key player. He currently thinks that Foley was not involved in the theft, but knows where the paintings

are. Hill told Bloomberg, Martin is worried. He's concerned that if he comes forward with the paintings, he'll be prosecuted. In February of 2020, the Irish, the Irish Supreme Court ruled it fully owed over 800,000 a back and back taxes and then he went into hiding according to Hill. Hill still has not recovered shit from the gardener highs. So everything you just heard might be total speculation and bullshit. The IRA and or Irish organized crime in the Boston area might not know anything about the artwork. As mentioned the timeline the FBI in 2015 stated that the two guys formally

associated with Carmelo Marlino, they're considered the main suspects in the robbery. And if I had to bet my life, after going through this over and over again, on which two guys took the artwork, I would pick Marlino's guys. Carmelo Marlino was a patriarcha family underboss. Patriarcha, Arantone brandera, Sada Steven Sagala, Totterlinis per getty. That's Italian for say what I just said. Big time New York England mob or big time New England mob guy known Boston gangster, wasn't afraid of going for a big score.

He had been convicted of robbing an armored truck for over half a million dollars back in 1968. The New York Times reported that on February 12, 1971, Charles A. Domenico, Rocco, F. Novalo, and Carmelo Marlino were all convicted of Arm robbery since 25 to 50 years in prison. When Carmelo was paroled in the 80s, he then opened an auto repair garage called TRC auto electric co in doorchester. He knows associates would come to be known by law enforcement as the TRC auto electric gang. According to FBI agent Jeff Kelly the Gardner Heist may have been planned at Carmelo's garage at the TRC auto electric headquarters. Arlena was arrested in 1994 for running a cocaine trafficking ring out of his garage. After his arrest, Marlino spoke about having access to the stolen gardener paintings. Fears later, the FBI put an undercover informant in Carmelo's garage and recorded him speaking

with associates about these paintings. Marlino and the informant plotted a robbery of an armored car, depot, and Eastern Massachusetts. Marlino and three others were then arrested and were told that all charges would be completely dropped if they would just lead agents to the stolen art. But Merlino would not provide that information. And on November 22, 2002, Merlino was sentenced to 47 years in prison. He told the judge the government pulled a real fast one. And then Merlino died in prison three years later in 2005 with the age of 71. Did he just not know where the art was?

Had he been bullshitting? Or did he know if he said where the art was, he'd be ratting on someone who'd have him killed? Or, you know, it's just like a, you know, his own moral code. He just was refused to rat on someone that he cared about, you know, a member of his kind of criminal family. The FBI theorized that two of them are leaders associates,

George Ricefelder and Leonard or Lenny Demusio were the two fake cops led into the museum. And that David Turner and other associates were possibly also involved. Ricefelder and Demusio both died in 1991. As I said, so they did seal that shit, right? They for sure did not live out the fantasy I talked about up top. Ricefelder had got out of prison in 1982 after serving 15 years for murder. His relatives later told the authorities that they were sure they saw a painting hanging over his bed that they believed was the Shay Tortoni. Rice Felther died of a cocaine overdose in March of 1991.

He was found in his apartment, not a mansion, and the painting was not there. And then 43 year old, Demesio, shot to death in June of 1991. Again, a gangland hit. David Turner, also part of Camarlo Marlino's crew. 1992, Turner's fingerprints were sent to the FBI lab to determine if they could be found on stolen items, but the tests were inconclusive. Turner was now there in FBI staying in 1999 while trying to rob an armored car, released in 2019. FBI still considers him a suspect, but again, they got nothing in the years,

keep ticking along. So now let's look at some other gangster possibilities, some other organized crime affiliates, thought to be connected to this high somehow. In May of 2014, FBI lead investigator Jeff Kelly told Boston's Fox 25 that some of the paintings were seen as recently as 2000. At that time, stolen works were put up for sale

in Philadelphia. Kelly said, from expanding our investigation and expanding the world in which we're investigating, we've identified a number of individuals who reported that they'd seen the paintings being offered for sale in Philadelphia. Kelly named these three key players. Again, Carmelo Marlino and Robert Guarente and Robert Gentile, also known as Bobby, Bobby Gentile. And sometimes Bobby Guarente. So weile, also known as Bobby Gentile. And sometimes Bobby Guarente. So we know Bob Marlino already, like Marlino, Guarente and Gentile, also dead.

Bobby Guarente was a Boston mob associate who died of cancer in 2004. He was a convicted bank robber with ties to both the Boston and Philadelphia mob, worked for Marlino, another member of the so-called TRC auto-electric gang. In 2010, Guarente's wife, Aline, she is a character, told the FBI that after her husband got out of prison in 2002, he gave two stolen paintings to a Connecticut mobster named Bobby Gentile

at a restaurant in Portland, Maine. The FBI searched Gentile's home multiple times, and they did find a handwritten list of the paintings with potential black market prices hidden in a newspaper. Gentile had offered to sell the paintings to an undercover FBI agent for half a million dollars each, but after he was arrested, he insisted he never had the paintings, didn't know where they were. He was offered freedom if he could just lead investigators to the artwork, but like Carmelo before, he refused to deal and played dumb or really didn't know anything.

Gentile was released from prison in 2019 and died in 2021. 2016, the Boston Globe learned that in 1998, Bobby Guarente told former mob leader Bobby Luise that he buried some of the art under a concrete slab of a house in Florida. Luise operated a cocaine trafficking ring outside of his house in 1997. Bobby Guarente worked for him as a seller and Bobby Gentile worked as a cook and a security guard. Gentile was a member of the Philadelphia mafia worked as a bodyguard for a mafia lieutenant. His criminal record included aggravated assault, receiving stolen goods, illegal gambling, counterfeiting, as well as larceny for mishandling his father's estate. Gentile worked as a bricklayer, cement mason, ran into Tyne restaurant with his brother, and he got his nickname the cook. Ment Mason ran in a tying restaurant with his brother and you got his nickname the cook

Because he liked to cook from mob associates Luigi told the FBI that Guarante asked him if he knew how to fence stolen masterpieces Because he had two stolen works buried under a concrete slab of a house in Florida Luigi told him he didn't know how Luigi was approached by the FBI after he was released from prison in 2012 weeks later Not coincidentally the FBI rated Bobby Gentiles home, but they didn't find the art. In 2018, the FBI excavated a lot in Orlando, looking for some of the paintings, but still failed to uncover the art. We know that Bobby Gentile was friends with Bobby Guarante, searches of Gentiles home near Hartford, Connecticut did not lead to the recovery of the artwork,

but the police did find a piece of typewriter paper with a list of 13 stolen items and what they might sell for on the black market again. Guarante and Died for trafficking cocaine in 1999. Cocaine allegedly came from the Merlinoc family in Philadelphia, both Guarante and Robert Luise Jr. were allegedly members of the Merlinoc crime family. Luise and Guarante and Died for being part of a cocaine ring in Boston. Gentile told the Boston Globe that he drove the we see to Philadelphia because Luis he was looking to expand his loan sharking operations and needed permission from Carmelo Moreno. Gentile

was asked if the, you know, Gardener heist came up at all and he denied speaking to Luis here. Anyone else in Philadelphia about the Gardener paintings. When Luis was called before a federal grand jury, he testified that Gentile did talk to him about the possibility of putting together a crew to knock over some armed car deliveries to and from Foxwoods casino. Louise initially agreed to cooperate with federal investigators, but then stopped cooperating. Claiming he had found Jesus and wanted to counsel others in prison or the fucking mom got to him. Louise's conviction was overturned and he was released. FBI searched the shed and Gentile's backyard and Connecticut, believing the stolen hour was there, but again, nothing.

In April of 2012, Gentile was indicted on drug charges arrested after a sting operation for selling narcotic painkillers. Gentile is lawyer, thought that he should take a lie detector test to get around the charges. If he passed, he could convince prosecutors that he didn't know what the fucking art was and they would drop the drug charges. But he failed to polygraph. Took the test again and admitted that he had seen the miniature self portrait by Rembrandt after it was stolen. The machines that he was telling the truth.

He claimed that a lean guarente showed it to him a long time ago saying it was tiny like a posted stamp. She pulled it out of her bra where she was hiding it to show me. Sweet. She told me it was going to provide for her retirement, maybe get her a house of Florida with it. When Gentile was first approached by investigators after the 2010 tip from Aline Guarente, he said, sure, I knew Bobby. And yeah, maybe we did talk about the Gardner case, but it was only to talk about how great it would be to get that $5 million reward. Guarente never had any of those paintings and he certainly never gave me any of them.

Gentile's lawyer Ryan McGuayn. His name actually looks like it's Ryan McWine. Maybe McWine. I'm gonna say it's Ryan McWine, that's very funny to me. His lawyer, oh, Ryan McWine, asked for one last meeting in the US Attorney's Office to try and convince investigators that Gentile was telling the truth.

And McWine practically begged Gentile to tell them what he knew. But Gentile said, in your right mind, do you think I would hold out to find new something? I know there's a $5 million reward here. Do you think I would deny my family $5 million and get these charges off my back if I could? I'll tell you again, I don't know anything and whoever's telling you different is lying. A few days later on May 10, 2012, FBI agents search his

house and search his house and manchester Connecticut and the basement they find you know that sheet of paper, you know, tucked into a Boston hailed paper reported on the theft the one with the 13 pieces and the potential prices. But you know, it says there's no anything. The search of Gentiles home takes place in February again of 2012 authorities find illegal firearms and silencers in addition to the handwritten list on April 17th, 2014. Now 79 year old Bobby Gentile is arrested by FBI agents for selling a 38 revolver on March 2nd to an unidentified confidential informant. He had been on probation after a 2013 conviction for weapons possession and a legal sale of narcotics.

He served one year and was released to do to poor health. The FBI hoped that this second sting operation would force him to disclose the location of the stolen art. After the first arrest, Gentile said he knew nothing about the art, right? They searched the property, they can't fucking find it. They offered to drop the charges, give him some reward money. His attorney said it would be a logical for him

to withhold information if he did have it, did have it. And then again, he does not pass that polygraph when questioned about the heist. At 2015 hearing, prosecutor said Bobby was recorded telling an undercover agent he had access to at least two of the paintings. And could sell them for half million, just as I mentioned,

assistant US attorney John H. Durham setting court on April 20th, 2015, there is a 99% certainty that Mr. Gentile was lying. When he said he didn't know anything about the Garden of Museum robbery before it happened. He had never seen any of the gardener paintings and didn't know where any of them were. And then attorney Ryan McQuine said that Gentile was only guilty of bragadocio and a thirst for attention. So my client was talking

about a fictitious deal with an FBI plant. It's all made up talk. Uh, 2016 Gentiles associate Sebastian Mazacato claimed the Gentile had access to the stolen art had it since the late 90s. When his gang supposedly took the art from the original thieves, Mazacato and his cousin worked with the FBI and a sting operation and recorded Gentile talking about the possible sale of the stolen paintings. But then Gentile became suspicious of his associates and the operation failed. Gentile maintained his innocence claimed that the recent charges against him just for a ploy to get him to reveal the location of the artwork even though he didn't know she had blah blah blah February 27th 2018 Gentile sentenced to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to illegally selling guns to a convicted murderer He sends a 54 months in prison for selling a pistol to a known killer who wanted to clip a fellow in Maine

And that was that informa guy March, 2019, 82 year old Robert Gentile said to be released from prison after serving 54 months on a firearms charge, and then we'll wrap up his story in a bit. Let's quickly meet you to a couple more gangsters. Miles Conner or associates was described by Smithsonian magazine as an aging rocker who performed with Roy Orbison before he gained fame as New England's leading art thief. 1975, Connor stole a Rembrandt from the Museum of Fine Arts. Connor has claimed 30 art thefts. He was incarcerated during the Gardner Museum theft, but has bragged that he and deceased friend

named Bobby the Nadi called the museum before the theft and that Bob or cased it, excuse me, and that Bobby was one of the thieves. Miles Conner came forward at the museum and increased the reward, said he could find the artwork in exchange for immunity, part of the reward, and being released from prison, but the authorities rejected his offer. Miles said he was probably told, but I don't remember who has the art,

citing a heart attack as the reason for his memory loss, according to this miscellaneous. Bobby Denati was, holy fucking characters, like out of a movie. Bobby Denati, in and out of jail for robbery, spent time with local mobsters, has never been publicly identified by the FBI as a suspect, but a lot of people implicate him in the heist. It's having knowledge of what was going on. September of 1991, Denati attacked outside his home in revere. His body was found several days later in the trunk of his car, a from home You've been stabbed and his throat have been slashed Damn

Law enforcement speculated the Denali was targeted because of ties to a renegade faction trying to take control of the New England mafia And in 2011 Miles Connor wrote that he had cased garden museum again with Denali before the theft Connor also claimed that a friend David hot and visited him in prison after robbery told him to not he was one of the thieves. Their plan was to leverage artwork to get Connor released, how in died of a heart attack in 1991, additionally New England, Mafia, Capo, Vincent Ferrara, claim the to not he told him in 1990, the derogatory museum and bearers the stolen art. And he planned to use it to get Ferrara released from prison according to former Boston Globe reporter Stephen Kirkajan in his book Master Thieves.

And a man named Paul Callantropo claimed that in spring of 1990, Denadi came to his office at the Jewelers building in Boston with that golden eagle finial and asked him how much it was worth. Callantropo recognized as a missing piece, one of the pieces from the museum, supposedly refused to touch it. Callantropo was alone in his office that day. He said he saw someone approach on the security camera. It was Donati.

He had known Bobby for decades. Had to praise diamonds, jewelry, other items that Donati had brought in. But it made him nervous always because he knew Donati had gone to jail for robbery and was, you know, a mob associate. He said, Donati showed him that, uh, Eagle Finneil, asked him how much was worth. He recognized it as the peace from the museum and refused to touch it, said it was worthless because the whole world knew it had been stolen.

And he said, that was the last time he saw a denati. At age 50, denati was murdered, and his murder remains unsolved. On November of 2021, Colin Throppo shared his story for the first time. So I'm kind of repeating things. It's like a little submarine, a little more detail at a hard time keeping all this straight in my head. He said he kept quiet before he, because he feared for his safety five years earlier, he met with an FBI agent and security director and told him about the media with the naughty. And this is one of the most recent clues in the Gardner Heist.

Kalentropos said he had been working with the retired law enforcement official to former convicts and journalists, Stephen Kirkajan in April of 2021 said they signed an agreement to split the reward evenly if they gave information leading to the recovery of the artwork. Kirkajan shared the document with the Boston Globe and an account of his work with the group Kirkajan called Count and Tropical Story the most authoritative account that I have heard of someone seeing any of the stolen pieces after the theft. Kirkajan also shared a 2016 letter between a federal inmate and museum security chief Anthony Moray. Moray asked

if the inmate could provide information about Bobby Donati and another deceased suspect. And he had reason to believe Donati was involved in the theft and possession of our paintings. And my reasons extend far beyond what has been reported in various media reports and books. So there's a lot of information we don't have. And then there is William Young's worth or just Young Worth. William is an antique steal dealer from Brighton who claimed to have gained access to the stolen artwork in 1997. He said on August 17th of that year, he supposedly showed what he said was the storm of the sea of Galilee to Boston Herald reporter Tom Mashberg.

Mashberg was taken to a warehouse to see what supposed to be Christ in the storm of the sea on the sea of Galilee. Mashberg was allowed to see the painting briefly by flashlight. When Mashburg asked for proof of the painting's authenticity, he was given a small vial of paint chips, and that led to negotiations between young worth and federal authorities. But experts later confirmed that while these paint chips were Dutch fragments from the 17th century, they were not from the missing painting. Youngworth wanted the reward, immunity from prosecution, dismissal

of other charges pending against him, and the release of Miles Conner, but at the end of 1997, the FBI announced the denial of pain fragments, so you know, we're not Rembrandt's work. Mashberg said, uh, has said that he now believes that the painting he saw was a replica because the painting had a protective coating on it that would have made it impossible to roll up. Now for the final Bobby Gentile details. The mobster was released from prison in March of 2019 due to poor health. His lawyer spoke about a conversation he had with Gentile when he was near death in 2016 saying years ago, I sat next to him at a prison hospital on, you know, what he thought was his death

bet. He wanted to go home and I told him if he just gave us information on the gardener, he could die with his wife that night in his home. And he said with tears in his eyes, but there ain't no paintings. There ain't no paintings. Hmm. And then Gentile died some 10th, 17th, 2021. He was 85. He is believed by many to be the last person alive who really had knowledge about the heist. So all the leads are all done with, right? Maybe not quite. February 27th, 2022, the Boston Globe report that investigators are now saying

that a 1991 murder could be related to the heist. In February of 2022, Anthony Moray told Boston 25 News at a recent tip, prompted officials to look into the 1991 murder of local criminal named Jimmy Marks. Marks was killed while unlocking his front door to his apartment in Lynn, Massachusetts. The killer had unscrewed the light bulb over the door, so Marx wouldn't see anything when he opened it, making Marx the victim of a classic mob style hit, according to Boston 25 news. He was shot twice in the back of the head, and then the killer fled the scene.

Amora received a tip that just a few days before Marx was killed, he was heard bragging about having two of his stolen paintings that he had hidden some of the art. Lynn Deputy Police Chief Mark O'Toole spoke with the Boston Globe and said, Mark had connections to subjects suspected of being involved in the Garden Museum heist. We don't know what if any role he had, but very likely was related. Amora said the Jimmy Marx was associated with Bobby Guarente. His murder remains unsolved and 2010 when Amore and Jeff Kelly interviewed Aline, right Guarente Bobby's wife widow she told him that Bobby was friends with an Irish guy named Jimmy but couldn't remember his last name

But then in subsequent interviews the lady said that Bobby killed Jimmy said Jimmy was a frequent guest at their house and Maine and she knew him very well, okay was a frequent guest at their house in Maine and she knew him very well. Okay. Marks had spent time in prison for a bank robbery in the 60s. He was a drug dealer with many connections and did spend a lot of time with the Guarante's in Maine. Darleen Finnegan, Marks Neese, said that before he died just before he told her he had something big coming up. She thought he was talking about selling cocaine, but maybe he was talking about

the artwork. 2015, Alene Guarante pointed to a picture of Mark's in an interview, said that Bobby killed him. Aline died in 2018. She sure seems to have possibly known a bunch. On Bessocka received a tip in 2010 that Mark's hinted that the paintings were hidden inside his apartment. 2015 Aline, set her again, her husband was friends, you know, he died, admitted a killing him after the fact. Back in 2010, Aline also said she saw Bobby give two of the stolen paintings to Gentile. Gentile and Guarante become partners after they met

to use car auction near Hartford in the 70s. Mentioned both of them. Alene said Marx was a regular visitor and her husband followed into Boston, then fucking took him out. Couple days after the Marx murder detectives found Guarante Gentile, two Gentiles strong armmen in a diner in August.

They were looking for someone else at the time, but noticed how the group seemed nervous and tried to leave. Marks was also acquainted with Leonard Demusio, one of the two suspected thieves. Marks was once arrested with Richard Megna, who was Demusio's cousin. Another fucking dick, so many dicks in this. After, and Megna often visited an automotive business

in Doorchester that was believed to be the hangout spot for the menu plan the robbery aka the TRC auto electric gang so a lot of people all wrapped up in this mess Suspect list is over now. Thank God. It's no one being don't be in test on all of that. I know there's a lot of fucking names so many of them connected Sounds like Carmelo Marlino's TRC auto electric gang members George Riceder and Leonard Demusio, likely were the two fake officers who took the art, doesn't sound like either one of them went on to live a life of luxury after getting away with it.

One was killed by other gangsters, the other OD'd on Coke, maybe it was laced, boasts just over a year after the heist, both died in the Boston area, no sunny beaches for them. And the rest of the crews they worked with doesn't sound like any of them really went on to live luxuriously. They all either spent a lot of time in prison or

shots of death. No one was able to use knowledge of where the art was to cut themselves some generous plea bargain or get the reward money. None of the people suspected of being involved seem to have lived out some kind of fantasy life at all. Damn. I never really thought about what happens like, you know, with the with the robbery game after you pull off something like this successfully. Not really. In the movies, everyone typically celebrates together and then the fucking credits roll.

But in real life, the cops, the feds don't get you, I guess someone else very likely will. It's not like you're hanging out with the people with the best morals. If you're hanging out with a bunch of fucking killers, mobsters, and they know you have this shit worth hundreds of millions of dollars, why would they let you live?

Why would they just fucking take it from you? You know, or maybe you try and sell it and the person just, you know, you're trying to sell it to, they kill you instead of buying it. The public never knows because the people killing you don't want anyone to know why they killed you. It makes me wonder like how many people who pull off a heist truly really get away with it, like actually get to like keep what they have stolen and profit off of it in the long run.

You know, not only don't get caught, but also don't get killed behind the scenes. How many don't have the shit they stole stolen from them behind the scenes? I mean, if that happens, it's not like you can go to authorities and complain about, hey, the stuff I stole got stolen from me.

Like how often does it truly end up in beaches, and sunsets and tropical drinks with fucking trolley straws and ladies and bikinis and easy living, you know, for the rest of a long, laughter and sex-filled life? I don't think very often at all. I bet a hardly ever. I think crime typically really doesn't pay,

none the long run. You know, but it could pay right now if you truly know where the shit is, and you can get that fucking 10 mil come on Statue of limitations is long up the museum just wants her stuff back time now for today's top five takeaways time suck top five take away number one in just 81 minutes approximately 600 million dollars worth of art was stolen from the Guardian Museum. But the choice of artwork, stolen has always perplexed investigators.

Some of the most valuable paintings in the museum, like the rape of Europa, Rembrandt's self-portrait, left behind, while seemingly random pieces like the Golden Eagle and an old Chinese wine base were taken. Number two, all those security guard, Richard, Ricky Dick Abath, has always denied being involved in the heist. Investigators are still highly suspicious of him. Based on his behavior before and during the heist, how has he not been killed by fucking mobsters?

Did he help those mobsters? The day before the heist, Abath opened his side door, the same door used by the thieves and allowed an unknown man inside the museum during the night shift. The next day, during his rounds at the museum, he entered the blue room on the first floor twice. Small painting was stolen from that room. Abbas is the only one, you know, that the motion detectors documented going inside that room, the fucking around the time it was stolen. Maybe when he hit that dead concert in a borrowed van, a man, a painting was riding shotgun. Number three, there are so many suspects for the heist from infamous mobster, whity bulger to infamous art thief,

miles Connor, although the suspects have made allegations about each other. None of them have ever actually been charged with the garden museum theft. Now almost all of the potential suspects are dead. Last person considered maybe to be, you know, directly involved, Bobby Gentile died in September of 2021. Number four, Isabella Stewart Gardner, the founder of the Gardner Museum was an extremely rich woman with a passion for collecting art whose last name was not Pigfokker. She and her husband Jack Gardner traveled the world collecting prices works of art for their personal collection. After

Jacked out of a stroke, Isabella brought their shared dream of opening an art museum to fruition. She designed the museum her self well, you know with the help of an architect remains exactly as she set things up today Excuse me one small section museum and her museum is not called the pigfucker museum It is known as the garden museum gardener not pigfucker. Please don't call it pigfucker Number five new info. I want to mention some anonymous letters in April of 1994 then museum director and Holly received an anonymous letter postmarked from New York City. The second sentence offered information that had never really been made public.

That the uniforms were not actually police uniforms as written about in the press, but security guard uniforms that looked a lot like Boston PD uniforms. And also said, I want to point out that I had no part in the theft and really only became aware of it in the past six months. Further, I do not know the identity of the two men who did the actual robbery. I am dealing with a third party. All parties do want a resolution to everyone's satisfaction. You get the collection and they get some money and immunity from prosecution.

The writer claimed that the art was still in good condition and they could facilitate the return of the art if they received $2.6 million and an assurance that they would not be arrested. Holly gave the letter to the FBI, special agent in charge of the time, Richard Swenson, how many fucking Richard during this story ordered agents to stand down during the negotiations. Swenson also went to the Boston Globe and asked them to put the numeral one in the currency box in the Sunday edition of the Boston Globe, per the request of the writer, who wrote, for example, this week, the LIRA in American dollars, or, yeah, capitalized the lira, in American dollars is .000618. Using that as a base, the following formula must

not be used to indicate your interest, or excuse me, must be used. Not interested equals 0.00619. Agree equals 1.00618. Editor Matthew Storein agreed to it, but did not make it clear that the paper should be told first if the art was returned. Storein put the lira in the middle of the row and put it in the globe May 1, 1994, and Holly then gets another letter the next week, and the writer says that they are alarmed by the aggressive reaction by investigators after the museum received the first letter.

They made it clear that they could have the paintings or they could try and criminally pursue those who took the paintings, but you cannot have both in all caps. Right now I need time to both think and start the process to ensure confidentiality of the exchange. The writer then said it was now impossible to continue negotiations and they would provide clues that the artworks were about, but the museum never received another letter. What aggressive reaction by investigators that they're referring to here has never been made clear. Might have been nothing. So you know, bummer, maybe the one real chance they had to get that shit back might have

been blown somehow back in 1994. Heist. The $600 million garden museum robbery has been sucked. Little deviation from our normal type of true crime. Kind of a complicated situation there on the back end with all those suspects. I hope it made sense. Clean it up as best I'd feel like I could. But I found the story very interesting.

Thank you to the Bad Magic Productions team for all the help and making time suck again this week. Big thank you to Lindsey Cummins for running a million things behind the scenes. Let me stay focused on this stuff. I'll try and crack these puzzles. Thanks to the suck Ranger, Tyler C for producing and directing today to the art warlock Logan Keith for helping with production. Thanks also to a bit of extra for upkeep on the time suck app, the art warlock Logan again for creating the merch at badmagicmerch.com For help and run our socials along with the Suck Ranger and a team managed by our social media strategist Ryan Handelman. Thanks to producer Livia Lee again for the initial research this week.

And thanks to the all-seeing eyes moderating the cold and curious private Facebook page, the mod squad for making sure Discord keeps running smooth, and everyone over on the Time Suck subreddit and bad magic subreddit Next weekend time suck we go nuclear That's probably how I'm gonna say with the three mile island disaster We just touched on this with the Sullivan Sullivanine cult madness recently now. We're gonna go further as our topic voting patreon space lizards have decreed in The early hours of Wednesday, March 28, 1979, Pennsylvania governor, Thornburg, Thornburg, excuse me,

received a telephone call from the state director of emergency management, Colonel Orrin Henderson. It was news of a problem that in Thornburg's words, no governor anywhere, had ever had to face. And I'm not sure that's how he says last name. I'll figure it out for next week. The three mile island nuclear power plant located in the middle of the Susquehanna river near the state's capital of Harrisburg

had suffered an accident. Answer to the question of what precisely it happened, especially the question of what effects the accident would have for public safety were unclear. The immediate tests simply get the facts proved much easier said than done. Experts just were not sure. In the beginning, they weren't sure of how it started, how severe it was going to be, and how much radiation would release

into the atmosphere of potentially killing people, a lot of people. Contradictory statements being issued by the officials from Metropolitan Edison, the utility company, federal regulators, and other groups stoked fear and paranoia in residents of the surrounding areas, and soon things were in a state of all-out chaos for many. It seemed to be exactly the type of thing that detractors of nuclear programs had been worried about, beginnings of some man-made nuclear apocalypse. Back at the plant, experts and employees quickly worked to fix the nuclear reactor and prevent large amounts of radiation from escaping from the facility.

Did they succeed? What exactly happened at 3 mile Island? And was the government truthful about what happened? All of this and more next week on Time Suck and right now let's head on over to this week's Time Sucker Updates. Our first update comes in from an anonymous super sucker who is convinced that I'm trying to kill him. Maybe I am. They're right.

I'm on to you, fucker. It's happened so many times, it can't be coincidence. I'm an electrician in the Great Pacific Northwest and it seems every time I'm on a ladder doing something overhead or in an awkward position, you Superman punched my ear socket with an Italian masterclass or some Whipple horse shit. I always and only expecting it in my focus is elsewhere. From one fighting man to another. Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight.

That's low blow. That's, that's, that's low, bro. I'm not joking when I say I've almost fallen off a ladder laughing. So thank you for that. But seriously, thank you for all the knowledge and laughs. I'm newer to time. So about a year, I'm a binge list. I am binge listening to you and your twisted mind.

I never job a mable to. I'm about three quarters of the way through listening to you and your twisted mind on every job I'm able to. I'm about three quarters of the way through the catalog and I love all the ridiculous dark humor lace with knowledge goes together like a moussa that I'm eating balls. I also respect. I also respect the shit out of you. I can't imagine how hard it is to wait through

the hot button topics you take on in today's trigger happy cancel culture environment, but you do it and you genuinely try to see both sides, which is rare nowadays. It's easy to take a hard stance against PIDOs and serial killers. Agreed. It is. But you attack a religion, guns, racism, etc.

Well done, sir. If you read this on the podcast, please leave out my last name in the off chance, my safety coordinator, or many bosses will hear this and come chew my ass. Also give a shout out to Joel Stokes. Use his last name because fuck that guy, I love all. Ha ha ha. He got me into time suck and he's a good dude. Oh, and tell him to get back in the hole and keep digging.

He'll name Rod, keep on sucking. Well, thank you, anonymous. And get back in your fucking hole, Joel Stokes. You piece of shit. Uh, wait, actually, you've been spreading the suck. No, why would I bash you? No, please go back in your hole. If you would prefer, you find gentlemen.

And yeah, thanks for the words about trying to see things from both sides, I do work to do that. It's so easy not to. And it annoys me more as I get older when so many people do. And I know that some people genuinely tend to line up, you know, morally, ideologically, whatever, you know, with one side much stronger than the other. But even then, to be super dismissive of a side, it just doesn't fucking get anywhere.

And I just think it's generally pretty childish and just mindless. And just a lot of kind of pandering virtue signaling, you know, it's, you know, you pick like, oh, okay, this side likes these talking points. And I always say, I'm this and I'm always saying that. And I never say I'm this. And it's, saying I'm that, and I never say I'm this. And I don't know, I think it's fairly easy to understand what minds to avoid stepping on. But I just, I don't know, I try not to think of, I try to think a little bit more rationally

and logically. And I just think it's in everybody's best interest for us to compromise as much as we can and be a stronger society that way as opposed to fracturing out and going into our little echo chambers. And I've been saying this on the stand-up shows lately. Hopefully, I said it for the special, but I probably didn't because I always come up with the best lines for stuff after I record something. But talking towards the end there, I'm like, you know, it's easier to just deal with people

that you agree with. I do get that. But we learn so much more from people who don't agree with us, right? That dialogue, that really evolves us in more important ways. You know, yeah, you know, you, you, yeah, I just think you grow a lot more when you look at things from the other side. So thank you. Thank you. And right back in, when you finally follow us out loud and really hurt yourself, please. Next up, a sweet sack writing in as ash, no name, who needs a little cheer and up. They write, hello, stuck master comins. It's your faithful sucker ash. I listen to your podcast everyday work while I deliver everyone's packages. That's a tough job. Thank you. I'll try to keep this short because it's really important

that you read this this week has been the worst week of my life. My boyfriend who also listened to the suck lost his job and it is recently fallen on me to cover the bills right now. Tonight I was not in a good state of mind. I feel like a boiling pot of water inside. I felt desperate. Like I should go to the emergency room for help, but I knew I couldn't because I would have to return to work. I wanted to thank you because in my time in need you sir were there telling me I couldn't let you down or mess this up for you because you need all your listeners. Nimrod spoke through you as a conduit telling me to contact the crisis hotline and I did and they were very helpful. That's fucking awesome. They asked me questions, helped ease my

mind. I will live to suck another day. Thank you for everything you and Lizzy and the team do for the podcast community you have here. Please if you could read this, could you give a shout out to my grandma Rose and mother Don for having my back this week. They are two amazing women. I will end this by saying, I will keep on sucking. We yes, Ash, no name. You will keep on sucking. And thank you, Rose and Don for supporting Baby Girl. The world always needs more sweet suckers.

The assholes, they never seem to take themselves out, do they? And Hitler doesn't count, right? They're gonna kill him. He knew that. But really, right, push through the dark days with the hope that unexpected sunshine could be right up there around the corner. Because that does happen. It's happened to me.

Remember that your family needs you. I do hope things turn around and soon in the meantime, maybe take this advice. It doesn't cost anything to have your husband fuck your brains out. Well, it's got a little time off. Tell him to fucking knock that pussy out, right? Give you a big ass and dork and rush to help kind of fucking put you in a happier place. Make me that pussy.

No name, ass. Hail Lucifina and keep on pushing forward. Next up, Callie Callie with an old update that's new to her that I would like to share with you. Good morning, master Reverend Dr. Sucker. I found your podcast a while back. Go and because that's how I am, I must start from the beginning and listen in order. I like it. I get it.

I can get a little rigid about stuff like that. I've wanted to send updates before, but I thought it would be ridiculous being years behind the eight ball. However, after listening to your Sucker and Cats for night and hearing some of the updates since, I cannot stop thinking about sending this. So here I am. I'm a lawyer and have defended and prosecuted individuals charged with domestic violence. I worked in Cincinnati, Ohio, downtown back in 2010.

I give that reference because this was not some backcountry appellation, Billy Boyz and Wallace community, but rather a large city, a decade into our current century. It was a judge while I was practicing there who was vocal that he did not believe women could be the offender against men and other judges that although weren't vocal Definitely in their rulings had similar feelings This is even more important than any singular case because when law enforcement officers see a judge's findings Of those of the arrest is not guilty That does that affect how they go about deciding whether to arrest or even write up a report going forward. So you've mentioned that domestic violence likely is not reported because the men don't

want to admit it due to highly masculinized cultures. And that is definitely true, but it goes much further than the victim not wanting to admit it to not wanting to admit to being a victim to others or even themselves. The issue also includes that male victims would not be taken seriously or believed at all levels from the police to the courts And just the past 10 years I've really started to see a shift though in the feelings towards who can be a victim of domestic violence Thank you for sucking I continue to need that Cali Well Cali I am glad that you were seeing a shift That is that is very good a scary that even judges have a hard time with nuance.

Man, that kind of speaks to what I was talking about earlier. People just, it's such fucking lazy thinking. This always works this way. These people can never do that. And then you just get to fucking, yep, I'm gonna file that whole category of human in this little file and not have to fucking work those brain muscles ever again.

Now, man, life is fucking complicated. It's a fail to recognize that is just ignorant. Some men can definitely be physically abused by some women. That is real, that is valid, that is fucking logical. Not every guy is built like an NFL linebacker. Not everyone is built like a helpless princess and then outside of builds there is temperaments to consider. And those judges though, they should have just watched some fucking women's MMA and CrossFit videos, holy shit.

I get hop on Instagram and find the names of 10 women in about 30 seconds who could beat the ever loving shit out of me 10 out of 10 times. And I'm not a tiny guy. I hope that episode can still change a few more people's minds about the subject of female versus male domestic violence. Yeah, it's very real. Get help if it's happening to you. It's not funny, right?

And you could you could die from it. And the last one, another Chinaman Square update from a hot heart Chinese mother, mommy, mother mommy, not doesn't sound good. That's even creepier than father daddy. Anyway, this, this, Anyway, this sucker, right? Anonymous sucker, right? Hi Dan and the bad magic crew. This is my first time writing it in.

I started listening to Time Suck at the beginning of the pandemic and finally caught up to the current episode this week. This was pretty coincidental for me as my mother witnessed some of the events of June 4th. And I thought I would share her story and thank you for doing so. I fucking love firsthand information like this. My mom was from Sichuan province and attended university in Chengdu, Sichuan's capital.

This was just a couple of years after the CPC finally allowed universities to reopen again following the 10-year shutdown of higher education. That is insane. The CPC justified this because they considered education to be too bourgeoisie. Of course they did. Because the shutdown, there was a lack of qualified professionals, fuck yeah. And university graduates didn't job search. You were assigned work positions by your program committee, and that was pretty much your only choice.

Man, for many new graduates like my mom, that men having to relocate halfway across the country. My mom was assigned to work in Chongjin, which is an hour away from Beijing. My mom was visiting her friend in Beijing and on the weekend on the weekend of the massacre. They had originally planned to join the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square on Saturday, June 3, but her friend's uncle, a police officer, warned them not to leave the house that day because something dangerous was going to happen. And my mom and her friend listened to the uncle's advice, stayed home cooking, doing chores, watching movies into the evening. My mom had to catch a train back to Cha

on Jinn on Sunday, but still wanted to see what was going on at 10am and square. So she and her friend made their way towards the square on her friend's bike early Sunday morning. Oh my God. And as they got close, they ran into a large group of people running away from the square and soon after her gunshots, The PLA were firing into the fleeing crowd. My mom and her friend immediately turned and also started running. At this point, they couldn't ride on the bike anymore because the streets were too crowded, so my mom's friend was pushing the bike as they fled. My mom suggested to her friend to abandon the bike because having to push it would slow

them down, but her friend refused. This turned out to be a good decision on her friend's part because at that time, bikes had to have registered license plates and could be used to track its owner down. In the days following the mask, her several people who had their bikes in the vicinity of Chinaman Square were arrested. Ooh, my mom and her friend were able to make it back to the friend's house without getting hurt. Soon after my mom caught the train back to Chaon Jin. When she returned to her office,

she was taken aside and questioned her about her activities that we can buy. Because my mom was out of province and out of province worker, she was living in the company dormitory and whenever tenants were gone overnight, they had to report their absence, the reason for their absence, where they would be staying and anticipate a date of return. What the fuck? What a fucking insane way to live. Therefore, management knew that my mom was in Beijing and worried that my mom was directly involved in the protests because they would get into trouble with the company CPC committee.

Thankfully, she was able to convince management that she was just visiting a friend and that was the last of it. To this day, my mom credits her friend's uncle with saving her life because if she went to Tiananmen Square like she had originally planned, there was a high chance she could have died. My family movie candidate in 2002, but even so, my parents are still reluctant to talk about what they experienced during the cultural revolution, and we don't usually talk Chinese politics outside of the family.

If you do choose to share this, please keep it anonymous. Anyways, I love the podcast and the balance of research and humor, three to five stars would not change a thing. Keep on sucking anonymous Well anonymous Yeah, congratulations on your on your family getting out and that is so insane about that education ban and just yeah just that every glimpse I get into China behind the scenes. I'm like what the fuck is happening over there? And you know and it really it fucking bums me out actually

when athletes and various people are very pro-China publicly, I'm like, what are you fucking doing? Are they just able to pay you that much money where you're able to fucking show yourself that way and pretend that this shit fuck government is not an oppressive nightmare. And I know this was a while back, but there's still pieces of shit

as far as their government. Fucking communism is a fucking nightmare. People who are huge fans of it, I think are just idealistic people who have read a few books and you know theorize about it. Well let's share everything, I'll be buddy buddy and just somehow magically forget that every fucking time it becomes horrifically oppressive, and just a humanitarian crisis. So yeah, glad your family's in crisis. Thank you for sharing that, and so fucking glad I'm not over there under the thumb of those naughty, hot, hard Chinese father-daddies covered in soy sauce and oppression. Thank you for the updates everybody

Thanks time suckers, I need a net. We all did Thank you for listening to another bad magic productions podcast I don't know how to pause think about the name of my own production company that I've said a million times Don't commit any highs this week. Just watch Oceans 11 and pretend you're George Clooney or Brad Pitt or Bernie Mac or something, right? That's fun. No one goes to fucking prison, no one gets whacked by mobster.

It works out better than movies. So just do that and keep on sucking. I'm glad we brought back the Whipple chill this week because I gotta say I like that music and I like really slowing it down and talking to that voice, but how horrible would it be if the whole episode was like that? Hey baby. On March 18th, 1990, Tumendo Skies is Boston police officers. They enter the Isabella Stewart Garden Museum and they overpowered two security guards on duty. Just 81 smooth minutes.

The thieves stole over 600 million dollars worth of historic art. And baby, that was valued at over 200 million dollars at a time. Mmm, mmm, mmm. $100 million at the time. Mm-hmm. The Garden of the Museum heists remains the biggest heart theft in the world, baby. And the biggest private property theft in US history. Oh, man, listen to those tickling those keys, oh, man. 33 years later, how the case still remains unsolved. The FBI has followed tips around the world.

They interviewed museum employees. I like that. They got a lick there. And a variety of convicted felons. Posting options or more. And of a variety of convicted felons, boss and mobsters and more, you know. They believe that they do know who is responsible for the crimes, who may have organized a theft to be involved in, in some way, and where the stolen works traveled after the heists.

But the problem is, they have no idea where the stolen art is right now and it's getting harder and harder to figure out where it could be with every passing year. Almost everyone who is likely involved in the Garden Museum has instead Possibly taken over 600 million worth of secrets to their graves The garden be I thought there was a saxophone coming in at some point I Thought I was sure I'd heard it earlier I was gonna I'd heard it earlier. I was gonna end on that, but I don't recall with what the hell. Come on.

Ah, fuck. Well, I can't give it. These episodes will be fucking 17 hours long. These episodes will be fucking 17 hours long.