Man linked to art heist will remain held in weapons case

HARTFORD, Conn. – A federal judge won’t release a reputed Connecticut mobster who authorities say is the last surviving person of interest in the largest art heist in U.S. history and faces sentencing in an unrelated weapons case.

The Hartford Courant reports the judge denied Robert Gentile’s bid Wednesday to await sentencing at his home.

The motion was filed Friday by Gentile’s attorney.

The 81-year-old Gentile was to be sentenced in September for having guns. A judge postponed it after Gentile’s lawyer raised concerns about his client’s mental health.

The judge on Wednesday ordered a competency evaluation.

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.

Gentile denies knowing anything about the theft.

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Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com