Very cool news - the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft

I went to school in Boston and lived there until 1988. Moved to Seattle. While living in Seattle, I read about an art theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. I loved that Museum -- a gorgeous small jewel of a place with some amazing pieces. Now, 23 years later -- from The Boston Globe:

FBI says it has identified the thieves in Gardner Museum heist; paintings' location still unknown
In a stunning twist in a case that had frustrated investigators for decades, federal law enforcement officials said today that they had identified the people who stole $500 million worth of masterworks in a daring heist from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990.

The officials also said they had determined where the artworks had traveled in the years after the robbery, which is considered the greatest art theft in history. But the officials said they did not know where they were now and were appealing to the public for their help in finding them.

"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. With that confidence, we have identified the thieves, who are members of a criminal organization with a base in the mid-Atlantic states and New England," Richard DesLauriers, special agent in charge of the Boston office of the FBI, said.

DesLauriers said that after the attempted sale of the paintings about a decade ago, the FBI did not know where the artworks -- which included three Rembrandts, a Vermeer, a portrait by Edouard Manet, and sketches by Renoir -- had been taken.

Officials said at a Boston news conference they would not release the names of the individuals who masqueraded as police officers to gain entry in the early-morning robbery at the Gardner exactly 23 years ago.

DesLauriers said that because the investigation is continuing it would be �imprudent� to disclose their names or the name of the criminal organization. He said the probe was in its 'final chapter.'

Very cool. I had a couple of minor 'brushes' with organized crime while living in Boston then (I was there from 1970 through 1988) -- the biggest was one group trying to copy an arcade video game without paying licensing fees (but that's another story). It will be nice to see this finally wrapped up. A nice end to a cold case. Looking forward to the book...