Below is information I discovered while researching my mother’s stories from her art encounters. And the notes they wrote during Koch’s visits with my mother. Following the name Ed Koch, in Miami which ironically lead me right into the art world.
Art Restoration
International Art Trading
MOCA
The Ed Koch addresses in the documents come up as being in the block owned by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami.
- March 18, 1990 – Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum.
- Trying to prove – Heist done by Frederick R. Koch and John Olsen.
- December 21, 1990 – MARY Robinson Koch passes away.
- She is the mother of Frederick R. Koch. My mother’s name is also Mary.
- September 21, 1991 – Robert Donati is murdered by the mafia, because of art heist.
- October 7, 1991 – James Bourlet & Sons London warehouse art storage fire.
- Trying to prove Fire done by Frederick R. Koch and/or John Olsen.
- November 1991 – Stranger arrives in my mother’s (MARY) life and begins to sell her artwork. We still have some of the artwork and hand written notes between them.
- Trying to prove – this was Frederick R. Koch.
- February 1992 – My mother visits Sotheby’s they authenticate the Snowy Egret, Jane Peterson painting.
- March 1992 – Stranger departs in hospital scene with a newspaper obituary, but turns out he is alive.
- April 1992 – Sotheby’s signs contract with my mother on the Jane Peterson painting.
- 1994 Someone writes a letter to the museum trying to return the stolen artwork and claiming they have knowledge of international art transactions. My Miami research connects to a company called International Art Trading. They request to communicate through the newspaper.
- Trying to prove – Frederick R. Koch wrote this letter.
Suzanne has been actively making claims of solving the heist since June 21, 2012 and the fire January 24, 2011. To Robert Wittman and Julian Radcliffe. Discovered Mr. Koch was Frederick R. Koch August of 2010. So nearly 15 years…
Please know, I am not a conspiracy theorist. I am an honest person trying desperately to share this crucial story, which involves several critical factors:
- The potential political cover-up needs exposure. The alleged crimes of these men and what they seem able to do shielded by wealth is wrong. Reports are ignored; they are never even questioned. It feels like they know they are protected at this level.
- If I were reporting on someone without immense wealth, I believe I would have no problem being heard. That isn’t fair or balanced.
- The truth of this story needs to be told. History needs correcting. I also deserve recognition for solving this, not the “conspiracy theorist” label I’m given.
- The artwork, stolen in the Gardner heist, needs to be returned. It should be known that one woman’s determination solved this.
- The psychology here is significant: the witness/victim pleads to be heard, but the criminal’s wealth seems to provide protection. Consider the toll this takes. If you knew the avenues tried, the dismissals endured… all while being treated like a liar. It’s like those exonerated by DNA after decades – not imprisoned, perhaps, but the mental turmoil of knowing the truth and being ignored by those who should act is immense. Should there be responsibility for those who failed to listen?
- Most importantly – some dismiss this as “just art.” It is not just art. It is about points 1 through 5 above!
I struggle to explain what it’s like knowing you’ve likely solved the largest art heist in history, only to be unheard because billionaires might be involved. Instead of being celebrated for uncovering this amazing information, I am laughed at, disregarded, and labeled. How dare I make accusations against such a wealthy family?
There is a chance that the information I am providing might actually be helpful in solving these art crimes. Because these crimes did happen, and someone committed them – very likely, a billionaire. I am providing real, factual information, provable with documents, connecting to an art-loving billionaire – not just a “theory” based on internet research like others who have written books on the Isabella heist without any firsthand connection to the events.
I will close with some background on Frederick R. Koch taken from online news articles (see links below) which seems relevant:
“At one point when their father was alive, his family list with everyone’s name–including the sons–and Frederick was removed from that very list. Something happened that for a time in his life, Frederick was not recognized as part of the family.”
“During the Koch brothers’ childhood, discussion of Frederick caused noticeable discomfort among his brothers. “They just didn’t want Freddie’s name brought up,” said one family friend. “They knew there was something different about him. You didn’t hear much about Freddie at all . . . It was almost like he wasn’t part of the family.””
“In the 1960s, mention of Frederick even vanished from one of his father’s bios: “He and Mrs. Koch have three sons,” it read, “Charles, William, and David.””
“When their father, Fred Koch died in 1967, he left his eldest son out of his will (though he had previously provided for him, with the creation of two trusts).”
“According to court testimony from Charles, their father removed Frederick from his will because he had repeatedly stolen from him in the years before his death and then lied about it when confronted with the evidence.”
“Frederick lifted traveler’s checks, cash, and an air travel card from their dad”, Charles said; he also alleged in court records that his older brother forged his signature on their father’s Brooks Brothers charge account. Charles’s contempt for his bon vivant brother was apparent in court. “Over the years,” he testified, “I had accepted my father’s analysis of Freddie of not really being a whole person, of being a person who was amoral and not capable of true feelings towards other people.”
These articles back up the character of the person I am claiming did these crimes. You have this billionaire, struggling to right something that is beyond one’s imagination; things just aren’t going his way, his money can’t fix this the way he is used to. A man who has never had to work a day in his life (see article links below). His only reason for visiting with my mother and doing what he did was to make himself feel better. Feel better for some art crimes he committed; crimes that most don’t really care about. But to this man it was different.
He left my mother to struggle with selling artwork beyond her comprehension and then hid from the truth when reality came calling. It takes a very selfish person to leave my mother and our family to go alone with what we’ve been through while trying to stand up for this story. Leave us with the responsibility of this valuable artwork. Artwork that if authenticated would need armed guards when being transported. No one should have to go through that. This man’s actions and the consequences thereof and how that wove itself into an unsuspecting family’s lives is the core of this amazing story that I want to share with you.
Supporting Articles:
Article about their father disinheriting Frederick.
https://www.vanityfair.com/
March 3, 2012 William Koch Article
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Articles on the Koch family lawsuits
https://www.esquire.com/news-
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/
https://archive.fortune.com/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/
Article Fred Koch is one of the richest people in the world. He does not own a company. He has not created a product. You’ve probably never heard of him.
https://www.esquire.com/news-
