Painting a picture of truly lost art
BY Howie Carr
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
I hate to be a gloomy Gus, but what if theres nobody left alive who knows where the missing $500 million worth of stolen Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum paintings, etc., are stashed?
It doesnt matter who robbed the museum. The only thing that matters is where the paintings are.
Thats what I couldnt figure out about the Monday press conference. It was the 23rd anniversary, and obviously the feds didnt want it turning in to one of the latter-day Whitey-on-the-lam press conferences on his birthday namely, an excuse for the media to beat up the FBI again for its inability to find him.
So the G-men said they knew who the robbers are. And everybody said, thats great, but where are the paintings? I mean, the statute of limitations on the robbery has expired. Maybe they could prosecute whoevers holding them on charges of being in possession of stolen property, but how likely is that?
If you want, the feds will give you a grant of immunity to get the pictures back trust me on that one.
So theres no downside to turning them over and collecting $5 million. So why wouldnt you turn them in? At this late date, theres only one reason not to turn them into $5 million. And thats because nobody knows.
Suppose the guys who did the biggest heist in history were going to prison, for a good long time. You know, for some dumb stunt like trying to rob an armored car while in possession of three grenades, each one of which was worth 30 years on and after the armed-robbery charges. If you didnt try to cut an immediate deal (which most people would have), youd want the paintings, your bargaining chips, in safe hands for later negotiation. Maybe you have them delivered to your uncle. Especially if he was a wiseguy, too, and you couldnt trust anybody in your immediate family for reasons I wont get into.
So (lets call him) Uncle Bob has the paintings and hes getting ready to open negotiations. But then, before he can get his nephew and the nephews pal out, he takes a heart attack. Drops dead. Now, nobody knows where the paintings are.
These things can happen, you know. This month there was a story out of Bellport, Long Island. A couple bought a run-down bungalow for short money. In the garage, they found a lot of paintings and drawings. Turned out theyd been done by the former owner, whod died. His name was Arthur Pinajian. He must have been pretty good the art appraisers valued the trash in Pinajians garage at $30 million.
Listen, like everybody else I hope the paintings are back in the museum ASAP. But I just have a feeling we might be looking at a Pinajian ending a long way down the road.
Or maybe the feds will get lucky and get another tip from Iceland.
They are in a garage in Quincy.