Gardner Museum Heist
Myles Connor and Amore News Stories and Interviews
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The Rembrandt Heist: the Story of a Criminal Genius, a Stolen Masterpiece, and an Enigmatic friendship
by Anthony Amore Dec 11, 2022
"I asked a few more question and gave him a copy of my first book, which he asked me to autorgraph. I signed it: 'To Myles with grudging admiration. Anthony'" "He and and Al [Dotoli] read the inscription and laughed. Then he took a pen and signed something for me. The inscription read: 'To Anthony, with full blown admiration. Pals Always, Myles.'" —Anthony Amore Making Something from Next to Nothing How internet sleuths hinder investigations by Anthony Amore Dec 11, 2022 "Armchair sleuths, from the little they know—maybe 5% of what investigators know—they form theories. Often, the theorists become so wedded to their theories that they become obsessive. They send their theories to the investigators’ bosses. They send them to politicians. They formulate conspiracies to explain why their theory has not resulted in an arrest. In the most troubling cases, these theorists harass the investigators and hurl wild accusations at them, building them into the conspiracy of secret criminal activities they suspect."   
Webinar: "Behind the Scenes of the Gardner Museum Heist With Chief Investigator, Anthony Amore"
First Republic Bank August 1, 2020 Time: 47:00
Amore: "We deal with an enormous number of con men and you can smell them pretty quickly. I wrote a book about con men, not a coincidence. So you could see that pretty quickly that you have these con men you're dealing with. And then other leads just Peter out. It's because they are a weak lead but we never dismiss it, we keep it and five years down the road, something might come up that lends itself to that information five years earlier, and we process it. So we don't throw anything away, except the fourth group we have is we do have a lot of unstable people who contact us with their theories. We always say we don't want theories, we just want facts. We've heard all the theories. And there are people that won't let go of the theories and they take up a lot of our time and they contact our trustees, they contact the head of the FBI, the senators, the congressmen. There's something wrong with them and they just can't let go of their theory. So there's scary element to it as well. Transcript A mystery for the ages: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist
The world’s greatest unsolved art theft continues to obsess—and stump—investigators The Art Newspaper July 17, 2019
"Don't believe the [Gardner heist] books. Don't believe what you read in them. Suspend disbelief and know that people are working really hard behind the scenes." Anthony Amore Time 27:26 12/13/18 What Happened Inside The Gardner Museum During The Heist WBUR September 16, 2018 "What we don't know is when they [the thieves] went into the Blue Room, to take Chez Tortoni that could have been the first room they entered we don't know because no motion sensors on the first floor went off that night, so it's difficult to say when that was taken." —Anthony Amore Webinar: "Behind the Scenes of the Gardner Museum Heist With Chief Investigator, Anthony Amore" First Republic Bank August 1, 2020 Amore: "We are haunted, in some cases vexed in this investigation by just bad luck. I can't tell you how many times we've gotten a lead and a name and we drive out to see the person that day to find that the person died a week earlier. It just happens constantly to us." Transcript Anthony Amore Belmont Hisotrical Society November 12, 2014 Time: 1:16:45 "I can't tell you specifics about the [Gardner Heist] thieves and what I know from them. All I can say about them is that they cannot lead us to the paintings today." "The question was why can't the the thieves lead us to the paintings and if I get into the weeds on that topic. I might be saying more than I should." — Anthony Amore "Rock n Roll Outlaw: The Ballad of Myles Connor"
Anthony Amore: "We believe we know who took the paintings... But all that matters to me is where they are right now...You won't find an example of some rich person who passes away or gets caught with these stolen masterpieces. It's the stuff of fiction. So many people think the Sultan of Brunai has our paintings or the Adnan Khashoggi and they don't." Tip from a citizen in 2010 led to blockbuster developments Boston Herald March 19, 2013 "Anthony Amore, the museum’s director of security, told the Herald today it was a tip from a citizen in 2010 who called in with “new information about some matters that we had been looking into” that ultimately led to yesterday’s blockbuster developments."
College Radio interview Anthony Amore discussing his enigmatic friendship with Myles Connor March 29, 2017
Amore: Instead of releasing the names of the thieves "we believe it is a much more effective way for us to investigate it via going to people who know who are connected to those instead of puttin the names out there and getting flooed and I mean flooded with calls not just from um psychics and what have you but from conmen and theorists. I don't know if the public understands the extent to which we receive calls from those sorts of people who know and they all have to be followed up on, Jim, so it's incredibly time consuming." New England's Unsolved: The Gardner heist 30 years later (March 20 2020) Transcript
Belmont Historical Society: Stealing Rembrandts Anthony Amore November 12, 2014
Old Dirty Boston interview with Anthony Amore Mar 12, 2020
He had to stay like that until the police photographer came because we needed to get the m.o. of how these guys did it. $10m reward for stolen Gardner museum artwork set to expire at end of 2017 By Shelley Murphy Globe Staff,December 15, 2017, 3:20 p.m. “We’re not looking for every armchair detective in Boston to send their theory,” Amore said. “It’s been 27 years, and we’ve heard all the theories. Theories don’t lead to recovery. We’re looking for facts.” Clock Is Ticking on $10 Million Reward in Gardner Art Heist By Katharine Q. Seelye
Dec. 26, 2017
As if on cue during the interview, Mr. Amore’s phone rang. It was [purportedly] a man who calls so often with outlandish claims that Mr. Amore has affixed a Post-it note to his phone reminding him not to answer calls from that number. The fact that no informant has stepped forward in all these years speaks to a quintessential Boston characteristic — the “closed culture” and tribal nature of its people, especially small-time hoodlums, he said, who would likely confess to a murder before informing on someone."Clock Is Ticking on $10 Million Reward in Gardner Art Heist By Katharine Q. Seelye Dec. 28, 2017 Have You Seen These Paintings? $10 Million Reward Offered For Artwork Stolen in 1990 You have just three days to find them. Inside Edition December 28, 2017“We are desperate,” Amore said. Cracking the Biggest Art Heist in History June 20, 2017 "There is one outside detective respected by Amore—Arthur Brand, a Dutch private investigator—who believes not only are the artworks still intact, but also that he can bring them home. This year." 'There are very few like him who understand the reality of this sort of crime,' Amore said."
'We want our paintings back now': Gardner Museum doubles reward for stolen art to $10m By Shelley Murphy Boston Globe May 23, 2017
At some point in the evening and the motion detectors don't show exactly when, at least one of the thieves makes their way to the Blue Room, and takes Manet's Chez Tortoni. Anthony Ammore explains: What Happened Inside The Gardner Museum During The Heist WBUR September 16, 2018 What we don't know is when they went into the Blue Room to take Chez Tortoni. That could have been the first room they entered we don't know because no motion sensors on the first floor that night so it's difficult to say when theat was taken. No alarms went off on the first floor between the time the thieves entered and when they exited. When half a billion dollars' worth of art vanished CBS Sunday Morning December 6, 2015 "At no time between 1:24 a.m. and 2:45 a.m., did any alarm on this floor get tripped," Amore said. The only person who had been in the room that night was Rick Abath when he made his nightly rounds, Moriarty said. "Someone went into the Blue Room that night, and the only one that went in that room that night was the security guard, according to the motion sensor printouts," said the FBI's Geoff Kelly. "Doesn't that mean that he had to be involved in this?" asked Moriarty. "It's one of the aspects of this case that we continue to investigate," Kelly said. |
The Art of the Heist:
Confessions of a Master Thief By Myles J. Connor, Jr., and Jenny Siler, 2010
Boston MFA Rembrandt Robbery 50th Anniversary April 14, 2025 The Wild One "Empty Frames" Interview with Jenny Siler, Myles Connor's memoir co-author
Interviewer: In the book, Myles Connor associate David Houghton "told him they robbed the Gardner to help negotiate him out of jail.
How did you verify that?"
Gardner Museum heist approaching 20th anniversary Reward, return now focus of case Boston Globe March 14, 2010 For years convicted art thief Myles J. Connor Jr. boasted that he knew who committed the brazen art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990 and could help recover the masterpieces. Last summer, federal prosecutors decided to find out if he actually knew anything. They gave Connor and a longtime friend, Edward J. Libby, letters of immunity that promised to shield them from criminal charges if they helped recover the 13 stolen paintings and artwork, according to Connor, Libby, and Robert A. George, a Boston criminal defense lawyer who engineered the agreement. All three hoped to share a $5 million reward offered by the Gardner museum for information leading to the safe return of the artwork, which is valued at $500 million and includes three works by Rembrandt — including his only seascape — and a Vermeer. But once again Connor came up empty-handed.
Belmont Historical Society: Stealing Rembrandts Anthony Amore November 12, 2014
Anthony Amore at Weston Public Library -Stealing Rembrandts The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists Gardner Heist discussion starts at 58:00
Infamous art thief revisits criminal past in Ellsworth Maine,
Mass. man [Connor] broke out of old jail in 1965 by Bill Trotter Bangor Daily News March 7, 2014
Meet the suspects: Myles J. Connor Jr. May 11, 2008 US reportedly wants to talk to Connor on Gardner theft by Ric Kahn the Boston Globe August 21, 1997
Art thief [Myles Connor] released from prison
" As he left federal court in Boston after being freed by a judge, Connor, 62, of Blackstone, said that hypnosis has helped him recollect memories he lost after a 1998 heart attack and that he now remembers the name of a middleman who allegedly arragned the theft on behalf of a secret buyer. Connor wouldn't name the man, but said that he lives in Massachussetts and that he plans to contact him in an effort to retrieve the artwork.
Reward, return now focus of [Gardner Heist] case
by Shelley Murphy Jonathan Saltzman Boston Sunday Globe March 14, 2010
Art thief [Myles Connor] released from prison Claims new data on Gardner probe by Stephen Kurkjian and Shelley Murphy December 8, 2005 Connor "now remembers the name of a middleman who allegedly arranged the theft on behalf of a secret buyer. 'I think I can use my connections and powers of persuasion to make the case that has to be made,'said Connor, who added that he doesn't know who commissioned the theft, but believes it was an eccentric collector who probably still has the artwork. The Great Art Caper by Steve Lopez Time Magazine November 17, 1997 Connor says Donati, who, he assumes, hired two mugs to actually carry out the theft, initially intended to use the loot as a bargaining chip, though he won’t say for what. “Then they got a tremendous offer for it,” he says. Not from the Irish Republican Army, a name that has surfaced over the years, and not “from, per se, a political organization. But something a little more powerful than just a wealthy, eccentric collector.” Whatever, it fell through, and the pieces were put into storage. Connor says Donati and Houghton later told him that if anything happened to them, they would leave him information about where the paintings are, but he needs to be out of jail to get that information. “And that’s essentially the meat and potatoes of what I have access to.” Jailed art thief may testify Connor eyed in Gardner probe Boston Globe August 26, 1997 A Growing Concern Over Theft of Art by Robert Taylor Boston Globe September 19, 1976
The Boston Globe and the New Fabulism (Part 6) by GARDNERHEIST.COM May 18, 2022
Connor held as bail jumper at Charles St. Jail Boston Globe September 16, 1975 Unlikely Suspect Connor Crony [David Houghton] was no art expert, others say By Daniel Golden and Ric Kahn Boston Globe September 23, 1997 "Now that Houghton has been dead for five years, his former hero, Myles J. Connor Jr., appears to be casting him -- quite conveniently -- as the evil genius behind one of history's largest and most perplexing art thefts." "But few who knew Houghton believe that he played more than a bit part, if any, in the 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, in which 13 priceless masterpieces were taken. During the current furor over the possible return of the paintings, the bandying about of Houghton's name raises questions of whether Connor really knows who took the paintings and where they are -- or whether he's willing to tell." Art Thief Myles Connor released from prison | Boston Globe December 8, 2005 Ex-Thief [Connor] says his "collecting" days are over Boston Globe February 12, 1989
Episode 7: 'I Was The One' Kelly Horan and Jack Rodolico October 29, 2018
False Facts in WBUR/Boston Globe's Last Seen Podcast, Season One Episode Seven (The Myles Connor Episode), October 29, 2018 The thief who removed the Rembrandt from the Boston MFA was described by witnesses as a white male, about 20 years of age, 5-foot-9, about 140 pounds, with long blond hair. Myles Connor, 5-foot-6, was 32 at the time of the theft, and claimed he was wearing a brown wig and leather chauffeur's cap to cover his red hair, during the MFA robbery. Connor only took credit for this violent crime decades later.
Earlier tipster makes his pitch on stolen art by Dan Golden Boston Globe September 12, 1997
A prodigal art thief still rocks 'n' rolls Myles Connor Book Review Boston Globe June 5, 2009 "The book is clearly shaded by Connor's version of the truth." A new documentary looks at Myles Connor, a rocker among thieves March 14, 2024 by Noah SchafferNote: There is no documentary. There is only a trailer. Anthony Amore makes a brief appearance in the trailer. "Trying to document Connor’s early music career 'was like trying to profile a ghost,' says Macomber. 'There’s a 20 second clip on him on stage, a few photos, and a few vinyl signs.' WEEEKENDER "The Irish Rovers one night it, Thursday, Aug. 30, at the Beachcomber. Myles Connor returns there for a Monday and Wednesday split date, August 27 and 29."Sunday, March 17 @ 2:00pm Rock n Roll Outlaw: The Ballad of Myles Connor Brief appearances by Anthony Amore Amore: "When I give lectures or talks or right books about art theft. I speak about 99.99 percent of art thieves. And then I always have to say, except for Myles Connor. And that's why he's the greatest art thief who ever lived, and I think who ever will live. Myles Connor held without bail in Illinois The Boston Globe (UPI) April 12, 1989 Stolen Amherst art found after 15 years November 26, 1989
Reputation catches up to art thief dealt 20 years in prison The Pantagraph July 17, 1990
Myles Connor sentenced to 20 years by Elizabeth Neuffer Boston Globe July 17, 1990
Art, hay thief [Myles Connor] charged in R.I. robbery Stealing Beauty March 1998 Vanity Fair by Tom Mashberg Gunmen Flee Museum with stolen Rembrandt by Rober J. Anglin Boston Globe April 15, 1975
Portrait of an art ransom Terms for return of Rembrandt stolen in Hub dictated in jail cell
Boston Globe January 8, 1976 Page 1
Hub police have art theft clues, descriptions The Boston Globe by Seymour Linscott April 15, 1975 Rembrandt Stolen in Boston Recovered New York Times Januray 4, 1976 Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony Amore and Tom Mashberg 2011 Chapter Six Myles Connor's claim of having stolen a Rembrandt from the MFA Chapter Six Notes: "Connor has written a longer, slightly different account of the robbery in his memoirs, The Art of the Heist, Confessions of a Master Thief (New York: Collins, 2009). This Account Is Drawn from multiple one-on-one interviews with him conducted several years earlier. The small variations in the versions do not in any case alter the basic sequence of events. "Deal for stolen Rembrandt made in jail cell." by Richard Connolly Boston Globe January 9, 1976 "76 art theft informer [Myles Connor] held on parole violation"" Boston Globe August 30, 1979 Storied Rembrandt to Be Shown at the Getty New York Times November 17, 2007 As the thieves fled to a waiting car, the armed man fired three shots, hitting no one but adding a movie-scene flourish to what was then thought to be the most expensive art heist in American history. Burglars Take Wyeth Paintings by The Morning Union (Springfield, Massachusetts) June 5, 1974
Myles Connor arrested Wyeth Paintings Stolen over Memorial Day weekend recovered — Lewiston Daily Sun July 19, 1974
WCVB-TV July 19, 1974
Video of FBI agent with five paintings recovered from Myles Connor and his arrest in an undercover sting,
at a Route 6 shopping plaza in Mashpee, MA.
"Myles Connor is the world’s greatest art thief" disinformation links The Gardner Museum Heist: Who’s Got the Art? Boston Magazine March 13, 2016 To Catch A Thief (Or A Klutz)— Anthony Amore On Art Security by Juliette Kayyem
How the Gardner Museum’s security head befriended ‘the greatest art thief that ever lived’ Boston Globe March 13, 2020
"Outlaw code or no, Amore and Connor share more than a fascination with stolen art. They go to concerts together — Bruce Springsteen, Kevin Hart — and they often share a meal.
They speak by phone several times a week and leave each other jokey voice mails."
The Raymond Rembrandt - Guest MINDSETTER™ Anthony Amore June 2, 2016
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