Reputed Manchester Mobster Linked To Infamous Art Heist Indicted On Firearms Charges

MANCHESTER, CT - A reputed mobster and Manchester resident considered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be a person of interest in an epic art Heist has been indicted on firearms charges, federal authorities said Tuesday.

Deirdre M. Daly, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment Tuesday charging Robert Gentile, 79, of Manchester, with "new firearm offenses."

Gentile, who Daly said has a pending indictment for possession and sale of a loaded .38 Colt Cobra revolver to an individual he knew to be a convicted felon, is charged in the new indictment with possession of three additional firearms and a silencer, each of which was seized from his Manchester residence during a search conducted by the FBI on May 2, according to a news release.

The indictment charges that Gentile, who has been convicted previously of "multiple felony offenses," was in possession of a .22 caliber Browning semi-automatic pistol, a 9mm Walther semi-automatic pistol, a .380 caliber RPB Industries, M11-Al semi-automatic pistol, and an unregistered silencer.

The indictment charges Gentile with one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, and one count of possession of an unregistered silencer.

He was convicted in 1996 of illegal firearms possession in a motor vehicle, according to legal papers.

Both charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Gentile was on supervised release from that prior federal conviction "at the time he is alleged to have committed these latest offenses."

If he is found to have violated the terms and conditions of his supervised release, he faces additional penalties, Daly said.

It’s been 22 days since agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation came and left the Manchester home of Gentile.

The FBI barely addressed the gun confiscation, and would only said he is a person of interest in the daring theft of classic paintings stolen from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, a heist valued at $500 million by authorities.

The FBI has a web page dedicated to the heist. It tells the tale of March 19, 1990, the day two men, dressed as police officers, were able to get access into the Gardner museum, overpower and tie up security guards and steal 13 masterpieces by artists like Rembrandt, Degas and Vermeer.

The FBI also details the works on its Web site.

One of the paintings taken is Rembrandt’s "The Storm in The Sea Of Galilee," (pictured) a piece that not only depicts a Biblical event in which Jesus eventually calms stormy seas in the midst of his disciples, but is considered the artist’s only seascape.