The Gardner Heist

By Rochelle Steinhaus

Overview

It has the mob, ex-cons, international terrorists, millions of dollars at stake and priceless masterpieces. But the one thing the story of the biggest art heist in history doesn't have is an ending.

At least not yet.

It has been 12 years since a pair of thieves pretending to be police officers stole works by the likes of Rembrandt, Degas and Manet worth roughly $300 million from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Even with the prospect of a $5 million reward, none of the 13 pieces has been found.

The probe has taken several interesting twists and turns, leading the FBI to focus on the Irish Republican Army, a Boston mob boss now on the lam and a notorious art thief who has been recently paroled. So far the art and the thieves remain at large.

Not a single person has been prosecuted in connection with the case — and now even if the thieves are caught they could be immune from prosecution because of a statute of limitations.

The investigation continues, however, to identify those who commissioned the robbery or possess the art — and of course, to recover the stolen works.

"It still is an active investigation," said Special Agent Charles Prouty, who heads up the Boston field office of the FBI. "It is an active investigation all over the world."