ROBERT Gentile was the last surviving person of interest in the infamous Gardner Museum art theft case of 1990.
It was announced on September 23, 2021, that he passed away at the age of 85.
Robert Gentile was a mobster suspected of having information related to the 1990 Gardner Museum art theft.
Who was Robert Gentile?
Before his death, Gentile was a mobster who authorities suspected had information about the Gardner Museum art theft on March 18, 1990.
Although authorities were unable to find evidence linking Gentile to the theft of Gardner Museum art, he was well-known for his lengthy criminal history that dates back to the 1950s. This led to multiple convictions.
A search of Gentile’s home in 2013 led to his conviction for illegally selling prescription drugs and possessing guns and ammunition.
He was later sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison.
Gentile was also featured in the Netflix documentary “This is a Robbery,” which discusses his possible involvement.
What was Robert Gentile’s cause of death?
Ryan McGuigan Gentile’s attorney confirmed the death of his client.
“For the past 11 years, I represented Robert Gentile, allegedly the last known person to possess the stolen paintings,” McGuigan said. “The Government had once told me that he was a dangerous man. A bad man. And he deserved what was done to him. I never agreed. I only saw an older man that was being kicked while he was down. He was a friend. I am proud to have known him and proud to have defended him. Mr. Gentile’s family has requested privacy during this difficult time.”
McGuigan said that he died on September 17 after suffering a stroke.
Unfortunately, there is not much information on his survivors.
What was the 1990 Gardner Museum art theft?
The 1990 art theft case remains unsolved. But back in 1990, two unidentified suspects dressed up as police officers to break into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
Thirteen stolen pieces were worth approximately $500 million.
Johannes Vermeer’s “The Concert” and Rembrandt’s “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” were among those that were stolen.
Federal prosecutors believe that Gentile had information, but in a 2019 interview with the Associated Press, Gentile denied all allegations.
“I had nothing to do with the paintings. It’s a big joke,” Gentile stated that at the time.
Gentile became a person of interest due to his association with the late notorious Boston gangster Robert Guarente, a well-connected Boston bank robber and drug dealer. They died in 2004 after a battle with cancer.
In 2010, authorities believed that the art might be hidden at Guarente’s farmhouse in Maine. Still, while the search revealed nothing, after returning the keys to his widow Elene Guarente, she unexpectedly told the investigator that he had two of the paintings and had kept them in the house before moving them.
According to the Hartford Courant, she later told investigators that after Guarente was released from prison on a different crime, he had driven to Portland, where he allegedly passed the two paintings over to Gentile.
Investigators had spent decades trying to convince Gentile to talk, but he remained silent and often voiced his hatred for the FBI, saying he didn’t trust them.
“Everything is lies,” He told the media outlet. “They got no proof.”