One theory about the Gardner Museum heist explored in This Is A Robbery explains why the thieves were never caught - and why the whereabouts of the stolen art remains a mystery to this day. The Netflix documentary series focuses on the notorious '90s art theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
On March 18, 1990, two guards were working the midnight shift at the museum when a pair of men posing as police officers showed up claiming to be responding to a disturbance call. Once inside, they proceeded to rob the place. Tying up the guards, they spent the next hour looting the museum, walking away with 13 pieces of stolen art. Experts estimate the current value of the haul to be around $500 million. Immediately after the robbery, the FBI took over the case. While there are several theories about who stole the art and where it is today, the case of the Gardner Museum art heist remains unsolved.
In 2013, the FBI announced that they’d finally confirmed who the thieves were but refused to publicly identify them. A popular theory is that George Reissfelder and Lenny DiMuzio - two men allegedly associated with the Boston Mafia - were the unnamed suspects. This Is A Robbery examines this theory and how it helps to explain why the art has never been found. The fact that both men died under suspicious circumstances soon after the robbery adds to the conspiratorial nature of the crime. If true, then the only people who know what really happened that night at the museum - and the whereabouts of the multi-million dollar haul - are no longer alive to tell the tale.
Reissfelder and DiMuzio were suspected of being part of the “Merlino gang,” a crew of lower-level associates with alleged ties to the Boston Mafia. Led by the convicted criminal, Carmello Merlino, these men are among the top suspects of the Gardner art heist examined in This Is A Robbery. About a decade before the robbery, Reissfelder was released from prison after serving 16 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit. Thanks to his lawyer - future senator, John Kerry - Reissfelder had been acquitted in 1982. It’s suspected that Reissfelder became involved with the Merlino gang while serving time. Several witnesses claim to have seen one of the stolen paintings, Manet's Chez Tortoni, hanging in Reissfelder's apartment. Shortly after the robbery, Reissfelder was found dead in his apartment from cocaine poisoning - an apparent drug overdose. Carmello Merlino found the body, and it is suspected that Reissfelder’s death was not an accident, but that theory has never been proven.
About a year later, Lenny DiMuzio was murdered in June of 1991. In This Is A Robbery, retired police officer Ed Whelan claims that an informant identified DiMuzio’s killer as David Turner - another member of Merlino’s crew. The only other crew member suspected of being involved, David Pappas was also murdered after becoming an FBI informant on the Gardner case. This is why many people believe that no one has ever been arrested for the Gardner heist. While serving time for other charges, Merlino later died of natural causes in prison. Turner is now the only surviving member of Merlino’s gang. But while serving over 20 years in prison for an unrelated offense, Turner continued to deny any knowledge of the crime - something that could have reduced his jail time.
Given the facts, it seems plausible that Reissfelder, DiMuzio, and Pappas may have been murdered to cover up the crime. But the Gardner heist was one of many robberies perpetrated by members of Merlino's crew, so their deaths could have been related to a number of crimes. It's also possible that Reissfelder and DiMuzio were working alone and took the location of the stolen art to their graves. According to This Is A Robbery, the museum is currently offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the missing artwork.