The Hon Alex Boyle Interview July 2011
1) How would you describe yourself in relation to the art world and in turn the Stolen Art Underworld?
Art dealer and art historian, being from New York, the center of the art trade it gives me a unique place to monitor the interesting trends and developments in the market. I prefer the regular art market, but in chasing the story of the Gardner heist it made great sense to learn more about the underworld, a perverse reflection of the regular market, which also because of the five families of the mafia is centered around New York City.
(2) What is your favourite colour?
Blue
(3) What is your favourite curse word?
Son of a *****
(4) Where were you born?
Westchester county, northern suburb of New York City
(5) What profession were your parents in?
Father was a journalist for Time-Life and my mother was a mathematician who worked on the design of 1st generation surface to air missiles at M.I.T.
(6) The Gardner Heist of 1990 has provoked many theories, how was the Gardner Art Heist planned and by whom?
A crew of criminals associated with Myles Connor (in jail at the time), including Robert Donati, David Turner and William Merlino used police uniforms supplied by Peter Boylan (echoing the 1962 Great Plymouth Mail heist) to look like real cops when they knocked on the Gardner Museums door late St. Patrick's Day 1990. The Italians naturally thought every Irish cop in Boston would be cross eyed drunk that night too.
(7) Who actually carried out the Gardner heist?
David Turners photo matches the police sketch and I would say William Merlino was the other fellow dressed like a cop. Once the security guards were tied up, who knows who else came in to help the first two, since I heard the late Robert Donati (killed a year later for threatening to talk) was intricately involved in the planning as well
(8) Were the thieves given a shopping list of items or did they decide once they gained entry to the Gardner Museum?
Donati was behind the walk about and as such guided by past tours with Connor, so he selected what he thought important. The people at the Gardner told me they were stunned the Titian's Rape of Europa wasn’t taken, but I responded to that “Rape Scenes” are not commercial, they are tough sells, while Vermeers Concert painting is the ultimate high end commercial gentile painting and very easy to sell such a refined decorative subject.
(9) The use of authentic looking Police uniforms and radios could point to a Police insider, the name Boylan came up, does that resonate with you at all and if not, what does the tactics of the Gardner thieves tell us about the robbery, professional or amateur?
Peter Boylan supplied the uniforms, so the heist proceeded in a super professional manner right out of the long lost playbook for the 1962 Plymouth (Massachusetts) Mail robbery which is where guys dressed like cops, uniforms supplied by Gerry Angiulo, took a mail truck for almost $2 million. Fat Vinny Teresa wrote about that score in his book, “My Life in the Mafia.”
(10) Post theft, what happened next?
William Merlino and his uncle Carmello (a made guy in the New England Patriarcha family) handled the artowrk, the Flinck stayed in the states with them fencing it to a gay old master dealer from Newport, RI named Ed Pawlin. The rest of the stuff was kicked upstairs to the boss of the Family, “Cadillac Frank” Salemme. Salemme had a "sit down" with the Genovese in New York at a place called Friar Tucks, there it was agreed that the Genovese and Boston would split the proceeds with a commission going to the dealer, Andrew Crispo who handled the sale to his European client. The paintings were shipped from Boston to Halifax to Genoa Italy then described to me as being trucked by Italians known to former boss Fat Tony Salerno to a dealer in Paris named Andre Candillier.
(11) Who took control of the Gardner art post-theft?
The wiseguys said to me the Italians in Genoa brought the works to Candillier (one of truckers being an Italian-American who moved back to Italy, but who remained a liason between the US and the Sicilians) who took delivery of it, I think for getting any restoration work done, but the end purchaser for the two or three best works was the late Baron Thyessen
(12) What journey did the Gardner art take post-theft?
The sit-down to discuss the details of the sale in Catskill, NY while the paintings went from Boston to Halifax to Genoa to Paris then to Switzerland and/or England
(13) Who were the post-theft handlers?
New England family (Merlinos and Salemme), Genovese family of NY, dealer Andrew Crispo, Genoan truckers to Candillier
(14) The Irish connection has provoked many a column inch but where do you see any Irish involvement in the Gardner Art Heist, before, during or post-theft?
Only rumors after the fact. Once it gets to the British Isles, anything is possible, but the IRA has a strict ban on crimes in prime fund raising areas like New York and Boston, so any IRA guy involved in a huge theft in Boston would have faced ultimate sanction, death, with the body left in public for others to see an example.
(15) The Gardner Museum has offered a $5 million reward for recovery of all the Gardner art “In good condition” what are your thoughts on the validity of this reward offer?
I think it remains likely though reneging for various reasons is common.
(16) The Boston Assistant D.A. Brian Kelly has offered tentative immunity to anyone stepping forward to help recover the Gardner art, but they would have to reveal all they know and waive their 5th Amendment rights and even testify against those who may be involved in the handling of the Gardner art as the statute of Limitations has run out on the actual theft, is this a sincere offer or just window dressing for the public?
That is fine print designed to maximize their appeal, but allow them maximum lee way to put the squeeze on somebody they perceive as getting in the way of their ambitious agenda(s)
(17) Where do you think the Gardner art is at this time, together or separate?
Separate. Completely chopped up like the smoldering wreck of a car on cinder-blocks on the side of the Major Deegan Expressway in New York City, circa 1977 in "The Bronx Is Burning."
(18) What actions could lead to the recovery of the Gardner art, other than Law Enforcement cracking the case?
Keeping earlier promises made by the FBI, like letting people out of prison, whom they already gave that promise to for solving double homicides, That would be a way to show good faith is real and not just some bs. “hey when we are done with you we leave you in the can to rot forever,” like they have done to people I know.
(19) What are your thoughts about doubling the Gardner Museum reward to $10 million to provoke new interest as it seems to have done in the Whitey Bulger case?
Bring it on.
What would you like God to say to you when you finally meet?
Can I stay up here?
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