FBI: $5 Million Reward for Stolen Artwork Traced to Philadelphia Area

FBI officials announced Monday they know who committed one of the biggest art heists in history, but they still need the public's help to locate $500 million worth of missing artwork, some of which they believe is in the Philadelphia area.

The heist, which happened at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, led to the theft of 13 works of art by by Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Govaert Flinck, Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet. Two thieves dressed as Boston Police officers infiltrated the museum, tied up the guards, and stole the artwork, according to the FBI. 

• See a gallery of the stolen pieces.
• Read an interview with an FBI agent on the case.

And for many years, that's where the case went cold. But thanks to a tip that came in in 2010, 20 years after the theft, FBI officials now believe the stolen artwork may be in the greater Philadelphia area. 

“The FBI believes with a high degree of confidence in the years after the theft the art was transported to Connecticut and the Philadelphia region and some of the art was taken to Philadelphia where it was offered for sale by those responsible for the theft,” said Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston FBI office. “With that same confidence we have identified the thieves who are members of a criminal organization with a base in the mid-Atlantic states and New England.”

To that end, the FBI is instituting a new billboard campaign in the area to increase awareness of the paintings and solicit tips from the public on the missing art's whereabouts. 

There's a $5 million reward offered by the museum, and a promise of potential immunity from prosecution by U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz. 

“It’s likely over the years that someone – a friend, neighbor or relative – has seen the art hanging on a wall, placed above a mantel or stored in an attic. We want that person to call us,” DesLauriers said.

A spokesman for the Philadelphia bureau referred all requests for comment to personnel in Boston. Patch contacted Philadelphia police and several local departments in the suburbs on Wednesday; none reported having been contacted by the FBI for assistance.

The 25 billboards will be located along highways around Philadelphia in the following locations: 

Locations 

Facing

Zipcode

US 1 Roosevelt Xwy ES 500ft S/O Wayne Av F/S - 1

S

19140

I-95 ES 0.4mi N/O Street Rd F/S - 1

S

19020

I-95 ES 550ft N/O Ashburner St F/N - 1

N

19136

I-95 ES 300ft N/O Keystone St F/S - 1

S

19114

I-76 Schuylkill Exp NS 25ft W/O Dickinson St F/NW - 2

NW

19146

I-76 Schuylkill Exp NS 25ft W/O Dickinson St F/SE - 1

SE

19146

I-276 PA Turnpike SS 2060ft E/O Butler Pk F/W - 1

W

19462

I-276 PA Turnpike SS 2060ft E/O Butler Pk F/E - 2

E

19462

Rt 30 Bypass SS 0.25mi E/O Rt 113 F/W - 1

W

19335

Rt 1 ES 0.6mi S/O Street Rd F/S - 1

S

19053

I-276 PA Turnpike NS 2mi W/O Exit 351 F/W - 1

W

19053

I-276 PA Turnpike NS 1000ft W/O Rt 232 F/W - 1

W

18966

I-276 PA Turnpike NS 1000ft W/O Rt 232 F/E - 2

E

18966

Rt 30 NS 50ft N/O Rt 130 38 & 70 F/NE - 1

NE

08109

I-95 ES 700ft S/O Madison St F/N - 1

N

19022

Rt 30 Admiral Wilson Blvd SS 20ft E/O Broadway F/W - 1

W

08102

AC Xwy SS 4.2mi W/O Baltic Av F/W - 1

W

08401

I-76 Walt Whitman Br SS 50ft E/O Front St F/E - 1

E

19148

I-76 Walt Whitman Br SS 50ft E/O Front St F/W - 2

W

19148

I-95 WS 2000ft E/O Broad St. F/S - 2

S

19148

I-95 WS 20ft S/O Third St. F/N - 1

N

19148

Rt 30 Admiral Wilson Blvd NS 0.4mi E/O Ben Franklin Br F/E - 1

E

08102

Rt 73 WS 290 ft S/O Hylton F/N

N

08110

Anyone with information about the artwork can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI (1-800-225-5324) or contact the museum.