Man linked to $500 million art heist getting mental evaluation
HARTFORD – A reputed Connecticut mobster who authorities say is the last surviving person of interest in the largest art heist in U.S. history is now undergoing psychological testing to see if he is competent to stand trial on unrelated weapons charges.
The evaluation of 80-year-old Robert Gentile began last week at the federal medical center prison in Butner, N.C., and is expected to conclude Jan. 19, according to a court document filed this week in federal court in Hartford.
The testing comes three months after the Manchester man was reported to be near death due to a series of health problems. Gentile’s lawyer, A. Ryan McGuigan, said Friday that Gentile’s health remains fragile but he is no longer close to dying.
Prosecutors have said they believe Gentile has information about the still-unsolved 1990 heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Thieves stole an estimated $500 million worth of artwork, including works by Rembrandt, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Johannes Vermeer. No one has been arrested.
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