The Gardner Heist: The Players - Who Did It, Who Was Whacked, and Other Conspiracies (Part 3 of 3)

The art is gone. The frames hang empty. But the real mystery isn't what happened that night in 1990, it's what happened after.

In this episode, we introduce everyone who touched this case: the street criminals who allegedly walked into the museum, the made men who planned it, the associates who moved it, and the security guard who opened the door. You'll meet George Reissfelder and Lenny DiMuzio, both dead within a year. Bobby Donati, the Patriarca member murdered and stuffed in a trunk. Robert Gentile, who took his secrets to the grave at 85. And Rick Abath, the 23-year-old guard whose decision to buzz in two "cops" changed art history forever.

By the time we're done, you'll understand why almost everyone connected to this heist is dead and why the few who are still alive aren't talking.

🔗 Key Resources

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – Official Theft Page
https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/theft

FBI – Official Case Page
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-heist

WBUR – Last Seen Podcast (Rick Abath Investigation)
https://www.wbur.org/lastseen

The Boston Globe – 30 Years of Coverage
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/12/arts/30-years-gardner-heist-still-mystery/

Netflix – This Is a Robbery (2021 Documentary)
Four-part series on the theft and investigation.

The New York Times – Reissfelder Profile
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/arts/design/a-dogged-pursuit-in-gardner-museum-theft-case.html

Hartford Courant – FBI Digs Up Gentile's Yard
https://www.courant.com/2016/05/03/fbi-digs-up-mobsters-yard-in-search-for-gardner-art/

FBI – La Cosa Nostra/Organized Crime
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/organized-crime/italian-organized-crime

The Boston Globe – Whitey Bulger Coverage
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/specials/bulger

📞 Got a Tip?

$10 million reward. 

FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI
Online: https://tips.fbi.gov
You can remain anonymous.