three men have been charged in the US for possessing handwritten notes worth more than a million dollars (£840,000) belonging to one of the eagles founding members Don Henley†
Prosecutors said Glenn Horowitz, 66, Craig Inciardi, 58, and Edward Kosinski, 59, knew the documents — including the lyrics for songs from the band’s famous Hotel California album — had been stolen.
The men attempted to sell the manuscripts, fabricated false provenance, and lied to auction houses, potential buyers, and law enforcement officers about the material’s origins, New York That’s what the prosecutor said.
They are also said to have been involved in a “year-long campaign to prevent Henley from getting the manuscripts back,” the department said.
The manuscripts include lyrics from Eagle’s songs such as Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane, and New Kid In Town.
They were originally stolen in the late 1970s by an author hired to write a biography of the band, according to the DA’s office.
In 2005, the biographer sold the documents to Horowitz, a rare book dealer, who in turn resold them to Inciardi and Kosinski.
When Henley learned that Iniciardi and Kosinski were trying to sell parts of the manuscripts, he filed police reports, told the defendants the materials had been stolen and demanded the return of his property — which the men refused.
Horowitz, Inciardi, and Kosinksi were charged with one count of fourth-degree conspiracy to charge in a New York State Supreme Court lawsuit.
Inciardi and Kosinski were also charged in the first degree with criminal possession of stolen goods.
Horowitz was charged with attempted criminal possession of first-degree stolen property and two counts of obstructing second-degree prosecution.
“New York is a world-class center for the arts and culture, and those who trade in cultural artifacts must follow the law closely,” said prosecutor Bragg.
“There is no room for those who want to ignore the basic expectations of fair dealing and undermine the public’s trust in our cultural trade for their own ends.
“These defendants tried to keep and sell these unique and valuable manuscripts, even though they knew they had no right to do so.
“They made up stories about the provenance of the documents and their right to possess them so they could make a profit.”