Bobby Donati
Donati was a Boston area gangster, with a long rap sheet including many theft and armed robbery convictions that stretched back to 1958. Donati cased the Garnder museum in 1974 with Myles Connor, but did not carry out that original plan. Connor claims Donati was behind the 1990 Gardner museum theft.
Donati was murdered a year after the theft took place (1991), and his killer has never been found. His body was found in the trunk of a car, a sign that his death was mob related.
After Donati turned up dead, an informant told the local police that the Gardner theft was initially commissioned by a powerful international organized crime figure, and that the five thieves were
paid $100,000 apiece for their night’s work.
The informant said the deal with the crime figure went sour because the men who entered the museum failed to remove prized works by Boticelli and Titian that had been specifically requested in advance. Once the mistake was discovered, the informant said, the deal was delayed because of a dispute over the price. The works, meanwhile, were “too hot to move” and were simply stored away for later sale.
At the time of the Gardner theft, Donati was working as an automechanic at TRC Autoelectric auto body shop. He also acted as a sometimes police informant, providing information about the Patriarca family when it suited him. At the time of his death, Donati was described as a legman for reputed caporegime leader Robert Guarente. Connor said Donati never profited from the Gardner crime and was back to earning his dough by strong arming and errand-running. He was known to play weekly poker games with friends and fellow TRC employees: Robert Guarente, Stephen Rossetti, Robert Gentile, and George Reissfelder.
Known associates include:
- Myles Connor
- David Houghton
- Robert Guarante
- Carmello Merlino
Donati was murdered a year after the theft took place (1991), and his killer has never been found. His body was found in the trunk of a car, a sign that his death was mob related.
After Donati turned up dead, an informant told the local police that the Gardner theft was initially commissioned by a powerful international organized crime figure, and that the five thieves were
paid $100,000 apiece for their night’s work.
The informant said the deal with the crime figure went sour because the men who entered the museum failed to remove prized works by Boticelli and Titian that had been specifically requested in advance. Once the mistake was discovered, the informant said, the deal was delayed because of a dispute over the price. The works, meanwhile, were “too hot to move” and were simply stored away for later sale.
At the time of the Gardner theft, Donati was working as an automechanic at TRC Autoelectric auto body shop. He also acted as a sometimes police informant, providing information about the Patriarca family when it suited him. At the time of his death, Donati was described as a legman for reputed caporegime leader Robert Guarente. Connor said Donati never profited from the Gardner crime and was back to earning his dough by strong arming and errand-running. He was known to play weekly poker games with friends and fellow TRC employees: Robert Guarente, Stephen Rossetti, Robert Gentile, and George Reissfelder.
Known associates include:
- Myles Connor
- David Houghton
- Robert Guarante
- Carmello Merlino
