This is Suzanne Kenney, and you’re listening to the Crime & Canvas podcast. In Episode One, we discussed how Frederick R. Koch arrived in my mother’s life at her flea market booth in Okeechobee, Florida. Episode Two dove into the incredible artworks he sold her. And in Episode Three, we meticulously decoded the handwritten notes they wrote during those visits.

Now that we understand my mother’s story, her encounters with Mr. Koch, the information from those notes, and the artwork itself, it’s time to talk about my journey. Welcome to Episode Four where we discuss my research and Miami discoveries. This is where my active research began, where the puzzle pieces started to connect,

And what started my journey of where I eventually crashed into the reality of a billion-dollar art heist and the powerful forces protecting its secrets.

Back in 1991 and 1992, when these encounters happened in South Florida, access to instant information simply didn’t exist. My mother couldn’t Google this mysterious man, or verify his stories about an art storage warehouse fire. He insisted she buy his artwork, and figuring it wasn’t a huge investment, she went along with it. She sold bric-a-brac, pretty collectibles, not artwork by famous artists. Yet, she enjoyed his visits, hearing stories of a life she could never have imagined. When he sold her artwork he made sure there was always a transaction, ensuring she was the legal owner, protecting her as the owner.

My initial step into this story was in 2002. I sold a couple of paintings for my mother on eBay and visited the Calder Foundation in New York for the first time. The internet was still growing, and I don’t recall delving into the story in-depth with my mother as I would later. My efforts then were more focused on the artwork, the notes, and trying to find the fire he mentioned – a crucial mystery we’ll explore in Episode Six. When those 2002 efforts didn’t yield immediate answers, I suggested to my mother that we put the artwork away until we could figure out more about it.

Then, in 2010, the journey reignited. 

My mother gave me the Calder drawings and said, “Let’s work on the artwork again.” My children were older then, and they began helping me. My son found the Koch brothers, noting they were all still alive. This initially confused us – 

how could this be our Mr. Koch, if he was supposed to be dead? 

Yet, everything about them, the twin brothers, Frederick’s love of art, the lawsuits between them, fit the profile of the man we were trying to find. I printed out photos of all the brothers and took them to my mother for her to see if she recognized any of them. 

 All she could say was, “I can’t believe you found him,” over and over again. my daughter was with me that day and neither of us will ever forget her excited reaction.

It was Mr. Koch–the man from the market. We had found him. We even found his family. Which had to mean the newspaper obituary that read Edward F. Koch Jr. was fake. He, in fact, did not die at sixty-eight. Edward, who is actually Frederick R. Koch, was not dead. He was alive according to articles and information online.

And he wasn’t some guy who would hang out at flea markets selling artwork, he was a billionaire in a family of very rich and powerful men that seemed to have connections everywhere. Picture a one hundred and fifteen billion-dollar-a-year company owned by two brothers with thirty-seven thousand miles of pipelines, and more than forty-five hundred thousand acres of cattle-ranch land, and two huge refineries that refine about 4% of gasoline produced in the U.S. 

Two of the brothers have tied for sixth place as Forbes Richest People Alive and all four brothers estimated wealth range is over a billion each. This of course raised even more questions; like why would such a rich and well-to-do man fake his death? If he wasn’t dead, why hadn’t he gone back to visit my mother? Why had he seemingly given up on her and their endeavors to sell the artwork if he cared so much about it in the first place?

With her excited reaction I felt confident and proceeded forward with trying to contact him. Maybe there was some confusion with thinking he had passed away. He will have the answer and explain it all. I am sure. Was my thought. Boy was I wrong.

My son found contact information for John Olsen, who is Frederick Koch’s companion. He got me an email address, and I sent it. I included photos of all the artwork. Olsen responded! He stated Fred was off on a yacht at the moment and that he had sent him a fax including the photos of the artwork. This should have been a red flag I wouldn’t really fully grasp until later, when my research showed Frederick never traveled without John and remember Mr. Koch described a life on yachts with her.

Then, Olsen finally responded back, stating Fred denied meeting and selling my mother this artwork. I wrote back, expressing my confusion as to why he would deny these visits and transactions with my mother.

Olsen’s reply was chilling: “There would be no reason for him to ‘deny these transactions’ if they had ever occurred but I’m sorry, he has no memory whatsoever of this matter. He has never owned or possessed works by Calder or Picasso, Jane Peterson, etc. Mr. Koch has never been to Okeechobee, FL where you told me earlier these alleged transactions occurred and has never been fond of, let alone collected, works of this period. We have a database and comprehensive supporting purchase/sale/donation records going back nearly 40 years in which none of these artists appear. Having said all that, I have a call in to Mr. Rower and forwarded your images to the Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s in New York for examination. Finally, legitimate works of art are bought and sold all the time with ‘holes’ in their provenance. It never hurts value of course to have it, but not having it does not erode the value in great works. If these pictures were authentic, any major auction houses would gobble them up and sell them for you.”

You can see a screenshot of this email on crimeandcanvaspodcast.com on the evidence link, under “Email with John Olsen.”

There are several statements in this email that immediately raised questions. First, his claim that “He has never owned or possessed works by Calder or Picasso, Jane Peterson, etc… and has never been fond of, let alone collected, works of this period.” Yet, back in 2010, I had found an article stating, that “After 1980 buyers, led by Wendell Cherry, Fred Koch and the Getty Museum, elevated French Impressionism, Van Gogh, Picasso and early 20th Century Europeans to the summit…” This article, by Godfrey Barker, is now gone from the internet, but thankfully I had a printout that I scanned. You can find the Godfrey Barker article link on the evidence tab of the website. John Olsen’s statement directly contradicted published information about Frederick Koch’s collecting habits.

Next, Olsen states he has an inventory database going back 40 years, and none of the paintings my mother claimed Fred sold her were in that database. This was the first mention of this database. Why would we believe a database they themselves created? Especially if they want to cover this whole thing up. Creating such a database, they might figure, is a perfect fix. If Fred never liked or collected artwork from these artists, why would you even need to check a database? And why not just say that in the first email instead of the “off on a yacht and needing to fax him” story? John’s contact to Mr. Rower from the Calder Foundation and the Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s also seems highly unusual. Also noting the man that visited with my mother discussed traveling on yachts and here this man is off on a yacht.

After receiving that email, my research intensified. What I solved from that research is the fire at the art storage warehouse we had been looking for and we discuss that in Episode Six. I was also actively trying to connect all the information I could from those handwritten notes. They kept leading me to one place: Miami.

Based on my mother’s description of her encounters with Mr. Koch and the notes written during those visits, Miami seemed like the place to look. Mr. Koch had even told my mother about a museum in the Miami area that he and his mother were involved in. He showed her a newspaper article of the city giving his mother an award. She was standing in front of a rolls royce. I have tried to find this article from the Miami Herald but their archives got destroyed in a flood.

My Sunbiz research uncovered a direct link for an “Ed Koch” to the art world in Miami. These connections, when placed on a map, are located in the block owned by what is now the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami. Before the name change the name of the museum was – North Miami Museum and Art Center, Inc. With the Ed Koch name I found documents for “Art Restoration,” and “International Art Trading” with addresses matching the parking lot of this museum. I will discuss more of how this international art trading is another step in helping solve the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum art heist in Episode Seven.

The notes also mentioned a “Washington Storage” in Miami, and a “Ned Mathews or his brother.” My research confirmed a Washington Storage that was indeed an art storage warehouse, owned by Ned Mathews and his brother. Just as the notes state.

This Washington Storage was later purchased by Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson and is now The Wolfsonian, a museum, library, and research center. We discuss this in a previous episode. And if you recall In one note, Mr. Koch even explained the Jane Peterson paintings came from Ned Mathews of Washington Gallery or Washington Storage. He stated there was a newspaper article with Jane Peterson holding one of the paintings, but as I mentioned the Miami Herald archives for that period were destroyed, so I’ve been unable to locate it. But I have found many newspaper articles confirming they sold Jane Peterson paintings there. You can view these articles from the evidence tab on the website.

The Miami research solidified a crucial connection. It confirmed that a person using the name “Ed Koch” and a Mr Koch, existed in Miami, connected to the art world, it was immediately proceeding the time period of my mother’s encounters. This wasn’t just a couple of months; it was a connection spanning several years of the late ‘80s. It also tied into the Van Gogh painting having visible restoration work, linking possibly to the Art Restoration corporation that I found in Miami. 

There was a Dr. Eric Carlberg, he’s a Swedish art restorer, he worked for the Washington Gallery back then, there is a newspaper article about it and I should have it in the evidence tab and I believe he may have restored the Van Gogh painting.

It was through this deep dive in Miami, following the name “Ed Koch,” that I finally confirmed the truth: “Ed” was Frederick R. Koch. And with that discovery came the chilling realization of the fake obituary from the fake hospital scene – a theatrical deception by a Yale-trained playwright billionaire. Remember his mother’s name, Mary, just like my mother’s name.

My research into Frederick R. Koch’s background painted a deeply complex picture. News articles from his family’s history revealed a man disowned by his father, described as “amoral” by his own brother Charles, and accused of theft from his family. A man who never worked a day in his life, yet amassed a fortune of 9 billion dollars from a 480 million dollar inheritance. He lived a life of luxury – yachts, mansions in New York, Philadelphia, Monaco, Scotland – a life straight out of Architectural Digest.

This wasn’t some petty criminal. This was a billionaire. And it made me question: could art heists be his income? Or was it possible to turn 480 million into 9 billion just through investments? While it is possible through proper investments. But the pattern of his behavior, the elaborate deceptions, the connections to other art thefts, suggest something more.

Consider the case of Alex Murdaugh, a prominent attorney. He was so desperate to escape accountability for financial crimes that he resorted to murder and fabricated stories, even claiming he was shot. He used his wealth and his status to manipulate the narrative, to make authorities believe his lies, wasting time and resources. And they believed him for a while Imagine if you are a billionaire with prominent status around the world, with access to news agencies. Rupert Murdoch: The crimes you could commit and get away with if you wanted to.

This is not just about someone being wronged with some artwork. This is about high-level corruption. The kind that runs rampant when 100% of those who should care, do nothing. Those that are corrupt count on this inaction. It works perfectly for them.

I have a story of high level corruption. The corruption is a billion dollar art crime story, and because of who is involved in the crime, I am unable to find anyone willing to share what I have uncovered. It solves some of the largest art crimes in history. I have spent many years reaching out to people to try to find someone to help me share this information. I have been actively making claims of solving the heist and accusing Frederick R. Koch and John Olsen for at least 15 years with no cease and desist. Heck the heist I solve they say is done by a wealthy person. I find the wealthy person and the response is they are wealthy they didn’t do it.

When you read the news articles on the 1990 art heist and see the theories being reported, all of the theories are based on hearsay and authorities don’t support the reported theories. Not only are these unproven theories reported on, but because they are reported on is probably why most of you struggle with what is being presented. 

Because you never see the art heist theories I am reporting being reported on in the news.  We discuss this more in Episode Eight: In the Media, Institutional Silence, and Cover-Up episode

The theories I present at crimeandcanvaspodcast.com and theartworkstory.com include facts with supporting documents. They are just as worthy to be heard as reported statements from mobsters or people whom deal with mobsters. Seems as if these mafia-mobster theories are the only theories the news wants to report on. Theories that can’t be fact checked any better than the theories being made by me. 

Though I will say my final theory does include the mafia but not how it is being reported. That we discuss in Episode seven – The Checklist, The Heist, Solved.

Below is some background on Frederick R. Koch taken from online news articles:

One states “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 the father’s bios: “He and Mrs. Koch have three sons,” it read, “Charles, William, and David.””

“When their father, Frederick 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.”

To view news articles these quotes are from visit the website and click on the evidence link in the top navigation and look for Koch’s Identity and Deceptions and under there is news articles.

These articles back up the character of the person I am claiming did these crimes. You have this billionaire, struggling with righting 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.

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. 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 the amazing story I am trying to share.

Over the years, when my mother would share her story, people would ask why this man would do what she claims he did. She doesn’t have the answer for that other than what she has shared about his visits. 

In my many years of researching my mother’s story, I have had the same question about why this man did this. Why did he sell her artwork of such varying values? There’s just so many questions. It’s unfair to put the questions of the motives on the victim. Right? What victim has to answer the questions of the criminal? Maybe a lot I don’t know.

People do seemingly strange acts all the time due to their guilt and their emotions. From the outside, it was strange at first, but once I connected everything, it started to make sense. Frederick just wanted to right his wrongs in a way that was considered a “good deed.” He sold off the artwork like he was doing so from a checklist of his crimes – probably to fix disappointing his mother, participating in the heist, feeling responsible for Robert Donati’s death, and likely other things we don’t even know about. This was the one thing that made perfect sense in a story where nothing else did. We will discuss the heist in Episode Seven and Robert Donati 

There is a chance that the information I am providing might actually be helpful in solving these art crimes. Because at the end of the day these art crimes they happened and there is an answer to who did the crimes. Including the high likelihood they were done by a billionaire. I am providing real, factual information that can all be proven and backed up with legal documents connecting to an art loving billionaire. I am not providing you with a “theory” based on an internet research, like other “internet researchers” who have written books on the Isabella art heist and are published in news articles as a source of information. When not one of the published books on this art heist comes from firsthand art encounters.

My mother’s story unexpectedly led me into a world of master artists and some of the largest art heists in history. But even amidst the beauty of that discovery, the stark reality of the deception and profound injustice woven into this narrative is undeniable. And that injustice is precisely why I stand.

This is not the nation we were promised. No one should possess the power to bury truth, to decide whose voice is to be heard and whose is not. That’s why I’m here, speaking directly to you. This podcast is my unwavering act of defiance. I refuse to be complicit. With their lies.

I don’t operate that way. I won’t be complicit. And that’s why, when I receive messages like “Heywood Jablomey,” it doesn’t silence me; it confirms my efforts are hitting the nerves of the corrupt.

My mother’s journey is far more than just stolen art; it’s a living testament to systemic corruption, there is a desperate need for powerful accountability, and the very bedrock of justice is built on that. Your choice to listen, to share, to engage, is how we dismantle their silence. It’s how we ensure this story, in its entirety, reaches the public. We are building a community where every unheard voice finds its strength. It’s time to demand that those who claim to seek justice actually do their job. It’s time to force a reckoning with the truth.

I urge you to take action. Email editors@propublica.org to demand coverage of my 15-year fight for justice. Tell them you’ve heard the evidence on Crime & Canvas. Use #CrimeAndCanvasPodcast when you share this episode.

In our next episode, Episode Five, we’ll delve into The Authentication Challenges, exploring all the avenues I’ve pursued to get this artwork and my mother’s story officially recognized.

And remember, if you’re going through a similar struggle, if you have a voice that needs to be heard, visit uhv.news. I started uhv.news because every voice matters. It’s a place I started for others going through similar struggles or taking time to praise someone in their community.

Thank you for joining me on the Crime and Canvas Podcast. This is Suzanne Kenney. I’m grateful for your time and your willingness to hear this story. Let’s always remember, the truth is still the truth, even if no one believes it.