That was the word on the Internet Tuesday afternoon – that the FBI had cracked the infamous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, just days after the crime’s 25th anniversary. Oh, and U.S Secretary of State John Kerry was involved.

Ultimately, the rumor proved false. The Boston branch of the FBI says two unsubstantiated reports that claim the bureau has released the names of the two men responsible for the March 18, 1990 museum robbery aren’t factual.

“The FBI has NOT publicly identified the suspects involved in the Gardner heist,” Boston FBI spokesperson Kristen Setera told BostInno in an email.

On March 29, Breitbart News reported that the “two career criminals who committed the historic crime were Kerry’s client, George Reissfelder, and a local thug named Lenny DiMuzio.”

 

Breitbart’s report was picked up by a publication called Artnet News, which published its story on Tuesday.

 

Both those reports drew some minor attention on Twitter, and Artnet News’ story even found its way onto Reddit Boston (though, it appears to have been removed).

 

Boston FBI’s Pete Kowenhoven said earlier this month that the two men who stole 13 priceless works from the Gardner museum 25 years ago, disguised as Boston police officers, are dead.

Breitbart’s story is supported by the fact both Reissfelder and DiMuzio have reportedly been suspects in the case since 1992. Both men also died within a year of the heist. But no, they haven’t been publicly identified as the culprits.

The mystery remains unsolved, and $500 million worth of artwork is still M.I.A.

FBI seeking information poster, featuring Vermeer''s "The Concert."
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