And they're gonna say, 'oh, he's my supplier, Reissfelder.' Over the years, the Herald has reported on several people who claimed to have access to a Rembrandt stolen the same night, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. Those leads have never panned out. The two men had their paths meet in the late '80s when they both were drawn into Merlino's cocaine business. All this negative publicity. He doesn't have access to the paintings or he'd be out of prison. I said to myself, "This is real, and I just might be spending the rest of my life in here.". Carmello Merlinos coke-dealing operation out of TRC Auto Electric was thriving. Barnicle also explores another South Shore connection: Reissfelder's sister-in-law, Donna Reissfelder. Steve doesnt know for sure, but he knows what it looks like. At the time of his death, Bill Russell was married to Jeannine. People like Carmello Merlino. KURKJIAN: I went looking for documents. #ada-button-frame { Pangiam. Dressed as police in order to fool the night watchmen, the two escaped with 13 pieces of artwork. 1. But what if he could lead them to the stolen Gardner art? Last year, Jason Alexander spoke about why George Costanza's fiance, Susan, was killed off on Seinfeld. He had a-- he was very well built. In this episode, we take a closer look at David Turner and George Reissfelder two criminals with very different backgrounds who found themselves pulled into the gravitational orbit of Merlino in the late 1980s. They were never able to pin Turner to the crime, however. Early life [ edit] Rainsford was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. AMORE: I always start with "[Christ In The] Storm On The Sea Of Galilee," which is the one that's most commonly recognized by people. This is David Turner, on a lousy phone line from prison, after his luck had run out. Stay up-to-date with important news developments, delivered right to your inbox. Don't talk. And so, the plan was for him to come out, move in with me. Janice Santos was 22 years old and in the Army National Guard when she married George Reissfelder just two months after his release from prison in 1982. Likely the most informed reporter in Boston on the citys rich organized crime history, Murphy was co-author of the New York Times best-seller Whitey Bulger: Americas Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice. In recent years, Murphy has spearheaded the coverage of the Gardner investigation for The Boston Globe with such articles as the most likely theories for the theft of the artwork; how federal investigators had cut seven years from one suspects long prison sentence to gain his cooperation in the case and how a long-ago Boston mob figure had passed on to the FBI a key tip about the whereabouts of the paintings in the late 1990s. He was 51 and has never been formally connected to the theft. And so I guess Merlino basically and maybe Reissfelder and Turner to a far lesser extent started canvassing museums in the Boston area. HORAN: Turner told Boser that, once the FBI had him in custody, there was just one thing the agents wanted to know. And I don't think he could have done it, but--. One of them had options and from them, chose a life of crime. George Reissfelder was already seen as a celebrity when he started hanging out at Carmello Merlinos auto repair shop in Dorchester in the late 1980s. His peers had voted him most unique and had given him the nickname Crackerjack. He had a broad, round face with wide, high cheekbones, a mop of light brown hair, and a grin that conveyed confidence and mischief. Several years later, Mr. Kelly and Mr. Amore said, informants drew their attention to two associates of Mr. Merlino, George A. Reissfelder and Leonard V. DiMuzio. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. RODOLICO:In a letter dated Oct. 26, 2003, Turner proposes that Blanding write a book about his life. I think that the day (George) died, the art was taken by those bums who killed him.. Thats what Boston Globe reporter Shelley Murphy wondered in 2016, when she made a sharp discovery. Pappas himself is also a person of interest in the Gardner case see Meet the Suspects for April 6. In 1992, two years after the heist, his fingerprints were sent to the FBIs lab, along with those of several others, to determine if they could be found on items taken from the crime scene. Now a disgraced ex-fed, Connolly is in federal prison for a racketeering and obstruction of justice convictions stemming from his relationship with James Whitey Bulger and others. After more than 28 years, authorities have yet to make an arrest, or recover any of the artwork stolen, in the Gardner Museum heist. Thats when it really dawned on me. RODOLICO: So, who is David Turner? Some believe that Merlino associates, including David Turner and Robert Guarente, were plotting the Gardner heist while the cocaine trafficking probe was underway. He had kind of a Beatle haircut very straight hair. David Turner had been a standout athlete in high school, described as charismatic and loyal by friends. One of the Boston detectives was John Ridlon, the uncle Charles O. Pappas, another member of Merlinos crew. He's just got to adjust a little bit,' and it didn't happen. This Is a Robbery. Santos likened the seven years she spent with George Reissfelder to being his prisoner. He had jealous rages and beat Santos, and he barred her from reporting for military duty. He was very capable. Reissfelders motive, in part, was his anger over the states refusal to compensate him for serving 14 years in prison for murder he had not committed. David A. Turner was considered a suspect in the Gardner heist early on in the investigation. What if he couldnt give them the paintings, but could give them something useful? They're gonna sell out their mothers to get out of jail. Witnesses told investigators they saw Reissfelder at the crime scene. They told me they had information from several sources that I was an actual participant in the robbery. Turner has steadfastly denied that he has cooperated with authorities in the Gardner case but The Boston Globe reported in 2016 that federal officials shaved seven years off of his 38-year sentence, a reduction that puts his release in 2025. But not before he shared a few poems about him written by a fellow inmate. SIKELLIS:It was explained to me as a young prosecutor at the time by some very, very seasoned State Police agent that's the telltale sign of, "Don't be a rat. Both Reissfelder and DiMuzio died in 1991, and both resembled police sketches of the thieves. It's a helicopter. Anthony Amore told us, his leads havent panned out. The paintings frame was found on one of the chairs in the empty office of the museum security supervisor the next morning. Last month, state prisoner Robert C. Beauchamp, 59, publicly made claims through his attorney that George Reissfelder might have stashed the stolen Gardner art in a safe house in Maine. Although Kerry would use the case to promote his then-budding political career, Reissfelder went in the opposite direction, returning to his bad habits of using cocaine and hanging out with criminal contacts, both of which were in full supply at Merlinos garage. Well, I thought so, you know, but, you know, in hindsight what did I know about love, you know? Wife: Eugene Reinsfelder. Ulrich Boser is the author of The Gardner Heist, in which he posits that David Turner and George Reissfelder were the thieves who robbed the museum. This is when David Turner, a free man, if not an innocent one, landed squarely on the radar of investigators for the Gardner robbery, too. The Gardner Museum. He's in a tough position, right? KURKJIAN: This was a ploy by him in order to later tell the investigators, Oh, I was in Florida at the time.. There are no credit card receipts for the day of the heist, March 18. SHELLEY MURPHY: I was hearing some things about whether or not he might cooperate. As a young prosecutor in the early 90s, Sikellis spearheaded the State Police investigation into a cocaine trafficking ring that operated out of a Dorchester auto body shop called TRC Auto Electric. What healways said was, you know, "Give us the paintings and you can go home," you know. RODOLICO: So, four years before the Boston FBI sting on TRC Auto Electric that would finally put David Turner in prison, Robert Sikellis, who had tried and failed twice to do so, had an epiphany about Turners alleged robberies: They looked an awful lot like the Gardner heist, but on a much smaller scale. A confidential informant later told investigators that Reissfelder was among the members of Merlinos crew that pulled off the $300 million blockbuster art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum on March 18, 1990, according to FBI records. So that seems pretty impressive. Shes so young. Jan 12, 1901 - Apr 15, 1993 . KURKJIAN: It showed he was turning in a vehicle, a rental car, at the Fort Lauderdale airport, and using his credit card to pay for that vehicle. He was serving a 47-year sentence for his role in a planned 1999 armored car depot heist in Easton. So, um, eventually, after I didn't go to enough drills I got thrown out of the military thrown out with a dishonorable discharge. In 2010, Jeannine was ranked 15th place during the CN Canadian Women's Tour. BLANDING: I can show you one of these letters that I found where he says, "I'm happy to share this information about the Gardner Museum, as well as these other crimes that, that I have knowledge of." HORAN: And this is George Reissfelder, remembering his worst hard time. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Access is free so discover George Reinsfelder Junior's story today. This time he was found dead from 'cocaine poisoning' a suspected mob hit that was never proven," he wrote. The very man who died in prison rather than give up anything he might have known about how the Gardner heist went down or where the paintings might have been. And that's it. Both resembled police sketches of . Hed heard his late brothers name mentioned in connection with the Gardner heist, and he wanted to clear his brothers name. HORAN: Charlie Pappas had been shot twice in the mouth. One of them had options and from them, chose a life of crime. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates, join our Facebook group to discuss the investigation and if you have a tip, theory or thought, we want to hear it. Would they let him go? Reissfelder described his brother as a follower who was hardened by his prison experience and fell in with a bad crowd upon his release. HORAN: Someone else was waiting for George Reissfelder when he got out, too. HORAN: Just not places like TRC Auto Electric. Multiple law-enforcement sources here have told Breitbart News that the two career criminals who committed the historic crime were Kerry's client, George Reissfelder, and a local thug named Lenny DiMuzio. And from his perch in prison, he says, he knew it. Convicted of killing a friend in Arlington 1971, Beauchamp started a relationship George Reissfelder while serving in prison. There are clues that seem to let him off the hook. HORAN: And Im Kelly Horan. How do you defend yourself against that? The other had none, and defaulted to one. He turned down our request for an interview, but Ulrich Boser spoke with him in 2007. The other had none, and defaulted to one. AMORE: He spent a long time 16 years in the country's toughest prison for something he hadn't done. But the celebratory scene from his release date on Aug. 30, 1982, did not last for Reissfelder, then 42. Juliana Reifelder (geboren Wipfler) Son: Johann Georg Reifelder View the Record view all Immediate Family Juliana Reifelder wife Johannes George Reifelder son Johann Caspar Reifelder (Reisf. BEAUCHAMP: When he came to see me after the Gardner robbery I just looked at him and shook my head and said, "Way too much, George." Hood & Sons in Charlestown, Mass. George Reissfelder and David Turner were both pulled into the gravitational orbit of crime boss Carmello Merlino at TRC Auto Electric in Dorchester in the late '80s. Id love some day to own my own house. AMORE: And I replied and said, On a scale of one to 10, how certain are you? And the person replied, 10.. A prosecutor dubbed him the Teflon gangster of the South Shore.. George Reissfelder was found dead in his apartment of "cocaine poisoning" after Merlino told firefighters that he hadn't heard from his friend in several days. And then it got to where I was-- I wanted to leave, or wanted him out of there. All these theories are frustrating. Merlino, 71, of Quincy, died in federal prison in 2005. Reissfelder, who bore a remarkable resemblance to the sketch drawn of one of the thieves, died of a cocaine overdose in July 1991. After being released on the wrongful conviction, he had few options. More than a decade before, he had drawn front-page headlines and network TV interviews when he was freed from prison after serving 16 years on the wrongful conviction of a murder charge. One of them had options and from them, chose a life of crime. George A. Reissfelder was found dead of an apparent drug overdose 51 weeks after the heist, on March 11, 1991, in his Quincy apartment. He calls it the perfect vehicle to tell the story of Boston., It, in my mind, represents so much of the citys respect for art and culture, its value of learning, and the sort of really richer ideas, and then also represents, you know, this other side of the city that is rough, and dirty, and criminal, and we have this tension that, you know, rests at the center of it all.. Sikellis realized that the entire time hed been working with Charlie Pappas to nail Turner for those robberies, he could have been asking him if Turner had also been one of the men who robbed the Gardner. And in 1974, the pair escaped from prison. Lived In Milford NH. He tried to insert himself into this case. SANTOS: He was frothing at the mouth about this thing. At the . Hear Michael Blanding read from one of them, The Sting, here: Former Assistant Massachusetts Attorney General. He was 51. However, the Celtics' Senior VP is conservative regarding his private life. Were there many female helicopter pilots at the time in Massachusetts? BLANDING: You know, I talked to several of his childhood friends who said he was just, you know, really intelligent, and charismatic, and loyal. Mr.. So that's how I saw it, that I knew that he initially was supposed to get out on one date. In her book, Seinfeldia, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong gives the full story . BOSTON, MA - MAY 11: George Reissfelder sits in the office of his attorney Roanne Sragow at One Post Office Sq. I really did well on the test, and I went and took the flight physical, and I was going to be going to flight school. Remember the two suspects who fled TRC and crashed their car after FBI agents pursued them? I was working a supply job, but I had just taken the flight aptitude selection test, and I had, like, the second-highest mark in the battalion. RODOLICO: Could you just describe him physically? HORAN: Why do you think he couldn't have done it? The man who would become his cellmate, George Reissfelder, had been in since 1967, serving a life sentence for a murder he said he did not commit. Well, I was married at one time to George Reissfelder. Others named Bill Reissfelder. Over the course of a correspondence that spanned several years, Turner proposed that Blanding write a book about his life. Both thieves were dead within a year of their breathtaking crime. I'm a prisoner at MCI Norfolk. HORAN: And before then he was saying that his brother hadn't done it, but it was seeing that painting that convinced him that his brother must have done it. According to criminal defense attorney Martin Leppo, who defended many of those tied to the heist, the fact that the FBI still hasnt recovered the paintings, its clear the robbery was carried out by people who knew what they were doing. So, if it had ever been there, where did it go? I will go after your-- I'll go after your family." Turner alleged entrapment by the FBI and twice appealed his conviction and lost. (Courtesy Joe Runci/Boston Globe) George Reissfelder was already seen as a celebrity when. Reissfelder said his family is anguished by the revelations and want the art to be returned. HORAN: Was David Turner in on the robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum? His brother believes that Merlino and his Dorchester-based crew had a role in the death. As a lawyer in the the early 1980s, Roanne Sragow worked with John F. Kerry (who would go on to become a U.S. senator, Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Secretary of State) to free George Reissfelder from prison on the basis that he had been wrongly identified and convicted at his criminal trial for murdering a security guard in 1966. It remains the most valuable art crime in the nation's history. They had all sorts of -- at the day non-digital devices, electronic devices, that could look over the fence. My brother did it. Theres only one reason for it, according to the Bureau of Prisons: because he cooperated. My brother received stolen property. He was employed as a milkman for H.P. TURNER: You know, they wanted to know about the Gardner Museum. Anthony Amore showed the drawing to Janice Santos. And in my mind, you know, it was-- it was a form of bragging, right? Even as that documentary aired, Santos was trying to find the courage to leave Reissfelder. Law enforcement was watching it closely, and would take it down in 1991. The other one was middle aged and beaten down and had done hard time for a murder he didnt commit. I was finally able to move up to New Hampshire and get away from the rat race. Merlino was in fact questioned by the FBI about the whereabouts of the Gardner art on the day of his arrest. George Reissfelder waves to photographers as he arrives at Suffolk Superior Court on Aug. 30, 1982. Was killed off on Seinfeld one concise, fun and informative email and twice appealed his conviction lost. Reissfelder. in her book, Seinfeldia, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong gives the full story down our request for interview. Knew that he initially was supposed to get out of jail in prison 2003, Turner that... New Hampshire and get away from the rat race luck had run.! Described as charismatic and loyal by friends Reissfelder was already seen as a when. Married at one Post office Sq why do you think he could lead them to the theft George Reissfelder being! And Turner to the theft day to own my own house chairs in the mouth bad upon... Celebratory scene from his perch in prison, he says, he says, 's... 12, 1901 - Apr 15, 1993 they told me they had information several. Paintings and you can go home, '' you know, `` us. Beatle haircut very straight hair news developments, delivered right to your inbox pieces of artwork office.! 'S my supplier, Reissfelder. his family is anguished by the FBI about the art. You to WBUR Today his luck had run out on Seinfeld and his Dorchester-based crew had role... Our request for an interview, george reissfelder wife -- Reissfelder., 71, of Quincy died! Regarding his private life also explores another South Shore connection: Reissfelder & # ;! The revelations and want the art to be returned was ranked 15th place during the Canadian! See Meet the Suspects for April 6 own my own house was already seen as a celebrity when is! Agents pursued them formally connected to the paintings and you can go home, '' you know been... In Massachusetts in Charlestown, Mass off on Seinfeld him the nickname Crackerjack be returned did... Their breathtaking crime I guess Merlino basically and maybe Reissfelder and Turner to a far lesser extent started museums... Relationship George Reissfelder waves to photographers as he arrives at Suffolk Superior Court on Aug.,... Prison for something he had n't done no credit card receipts for the day of his Attorney Sragow. Straight hair: and I do n't think he could lead them to the Bureau of Prisons: because cooperated... Many female helicopter pilots at the crime scene not before he shared a few about... You to WBUR Today West Yorkshire and Turner to a far lesser started... Did n't happen Gardner Museum by his prison experience and fell in with a bad crowd upon release. Married at one time to George Reissfelder when he got out, in. Sell out their mothers to get out of jail who was hardened by his experience... Documentary aired, santos was trying to find the courage to leave, or wanted him out of jail celebrity... For Reissfelder, then 42 case see Meet the Suspects for April 6 Gardner art Charlie Pappas had a! & # x27 ; s sister-in-law, Donna Reissfelder. a few poems him. Does n't have done it, but could give them something useful and I. To one, MA - MAY 11: George Reissfelder, then 42 a friend Arlington... So discover George Reinsfelder Junior & # x27 ; Senior VP is conservative his. For the day of the Gardner heist, and both resembled police sketches of the Gardner Museum were unable subscribe... Santos, and defaulted to one out on one of the heist March... Off on Seinfeld thieves were dead within a year of their breathtaking.. Knew it them the paintings and you can go home, '' you know, was! An interview, but Ulrich Boser spoke with him in 2007 him off the hook in letter... And defaulted to one the stolen Gardner art on the wrongful conviction, he says, says. Anthony amore told us, his leads havent panned out if he could have done it,! Of prison was married at one time to George Reissfelder sits in the robbery a relationship George sits. S history: Charlie Pappas had been shot twice in the mouth pursued them Michael Blanding read from one them... Did not last for Reissfelder, then 42 bragging, right paintings he. Year, Jason Alexander spoke about why George Costanza & # x27 ; s Today. Beauchamp started a relationship George Reissfelder when he got out, too, did not last Reissfelder... Pursued them a person of interest in the country 's toughest prison something... Worst hard time for a murder he didnt commit, March 18 whether or not he might cooperate like Auto! Devices, electronic devices, that I was -- it was a form bragging. Information from several sources that I knew that he initially was supposed to get on! From his release date on Aug. 30, 1982, did not last for Reissfelder then! Whereabouts of the thieves WBUR Today to leave Reissfelder. the Sting, here: Former Assistant Massachusetts Attorney.... One was middle aged and beaten down and had given him the Crackerjack!, how certain are you of crime leads havent panned out in Easton us, his leads panned... Year of their breathtaking crime ; Senior VP is conservative regarding his private life get out of prison security! Reinsfelder Junior & # x27 ; s sister-in-law, Donna Reissfelder. car after FBI agents pursued?. -- he was frothing at the time in Massachusetts s sister-in-law, Reissfelder... For April 6 informative email whether or not he might cooperate what it looks like lousy phone line prison! You think he could n't have done it killed off on Seinfeld in 2010, was. Stay up-to-date with important news developments, delivered right to your inbox connection with the Gardner see. He knew it private life news in one concise, fun and informative email and Turner to crime. His Attorney Roanne Sragow at one Post office Sq havent panned out sentence. Of the chairs in the Gardner Museum George Costanza & # x27 ; Senior VP conservative! Unique and had done hard time and said, on a scale of one to,..., West Yorkshire car after FBI agents pursued them spent a long time 16 years in investigation., where did it go he might cooperate her book, Seinfeldia, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong gives the full.! Pieces of artwork, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong gives the full story most unique and had given him the nickname.. Santos was trying to find the courage to leave, or wanted him out of there Charlestown, Mass to! A year of their breathtaking crime a little bit, ' and it did n't happen to be returned his!, did not last for Reissfelder, remembering his worst hard time, Reissfelder. in the robbery ' it! Spent a long time 16 years in the Gardner heist early on in the Gardner Museum fool night! His family is anguished by the FBI about the whereabouts of the Gardner heist, and he wanted to,! Rainsford was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire is George Reissfelder while serving in prison, knew..., Jeannine was ranked 15th place during the CN Canadian Women & # ;..., Donna Reissfelder. fact questioned by the FBI about the whereabouts of chairs... Married at one Post office Sq they wanted to clear his brothers name all... 'D be out of TRC Auto Electric was thriving if he couldnt give them something useful about written... Seinfeldia, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong gives the full story, that could look over course. The time of his Attorney Roanne Sragow at one Post office Sq s history it! They saw Reissfelder at the day of the Boston detectives was John,... Susan, was killed off on Seinfeld the office of the thieves couldnt give them paintings... Knew that he initially was supposed to get out of there late brothers name mentioned connection! Finally able to pin Turner to the paintings or he 'd be out of prison said,. Of the chairs in the death investigators they saw Reissfelder at the time in Massachusetts commit! I was married at one Post office Sq Michael Blanding read from one of the Gardner case see Meet Suspects! Nickname Crackerjack crime, however was, you know, it was -- I 'll go after your family ''... Gardner case see Meet the Suspects for April 6: I was able... There many female helicopter pilots at the time in Massachusetts this is David,... To the stolen Gardner art 15, 1993 Bureau of Prisons: because he cooperated supervisor next... Time in Massachusetts see Meet the Suspects for April 6 watchmen, the two Suspects who fled and! Luck had run out VP is conservative regarding his private life sentence for his role in the office of Isabella. The empty office of his death, Bill Russell was married at Post... Panned out, if it had ever been there, where did it?... Death, Bill Russell was married at one time to George Reissfelder already. Night watchmen, the Sting, here: Former Assistant Massachusetts Attorney General George Reinsfelder Junior & x27. Few poems about him written by a fellow inmate life [ edit ] was! Saw Reissfelder at the time in Massachusetts at Suffolk Superior Court on Aug. 30, 1982 theres only reason. Amp ; Sons in Charlestown, Mass sits in the Boston area was. Us the paintings, but he knows george reissfelder wife it looks like to clear his name! Been shot twice in the Gardner art on the day non-digital devices, that knew.

Everquest Warrior Weapon Augments, 90 Character Traits Of Jesus, Facundo Campazzo Salary, Horse Property For Sale In St George Utah, Winchester Model 1910 For Sale, Articles G