The L.P.D. Because their campuses were only a mile apart, they assumed they would stay close, but as with most freshmen, their assured identities and easy expectations muddied once they hit campus. Back at Warren's later that afternoon, the boys were transfixed by local coverage of the Transy Book Heist. According to the news, it appeared that neither Gooch nor anyone else was able to provide the police with an accurate description of the boys. I never intended to paint them and I resisted the idea but in the end I couldn't help but indulge the irony. The painting, in digital form, would become a popular screen saver on the F.B.I. Like many aspiring art students Spencer believed that the academic community he was joining would inspire and enlighten him, exposing him to new experiences and methods. Mr. Beckman now wanted these books appraised. Among the prisoners are three of the four unlikely masterminds behind the Transy Book Heist: Warren Lipka, Spencer Reinhard, and Eric Borsuk. Who do we trust?. American Animals is a 2018 heist film written and directed by Bart Layton.Starring Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, and Ann Dowd, it follows four college friends who plan a heist of their library.It tells the story of an actual heist which took place at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky in 2004.. American Animals premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film . But before long they were put to chase once again, this time by two local thugs. Though I showed artwork briefly with Ann Tower Gallery, my career as an artist has been limited to private sales and commissions, including contributing a mural to PRHBTN in Lexington in 2018. I'm not sure, but it was a lot. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. They jump in the van and peel out around the loop.. She also said that she was so suspicious and put off by the young men's youth and demeanor that she had recommended to her boss that they not pursue the business. He was visibly unnerved, Warren remembers. After four years in New Jersey I was released back to Lexington where I lived with my parents and continued to paint. As they scooted down the stairs their arms gave out and they stopped to catch their breath. If not, we were going to get caught and it was going to be a crazy story., And now that we've diverted from that path, we feel liberated, Warren tells me, waving his arms around the room. agents were sitting behind them the whole time, listening to their every word. If not, we were going to get caught and it was going to be a crazy story., And now that weve diverted from that path, we feel liberated, Warren tells me, waving his arms around the room. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Over the phone and by e-mail, Beckman had asked to view, among other items, a first edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species and four double-size folios of John James Audubon's Birds of America. We're going to need more people, Warren remembers thinking. After high school I chose to attend Transylvania University where I would continue to play soccer and study art. I want to say living that kind of lifethe country clubs, sitting in a classroom and listening to two girls argue about turning down a BMW S.U.V. Lifting a technique straight from the film Reservoir Dogs, Warren assigned code names based on color: Mr. Green (Spencer), Mr. Yellow (Warren), and Mr. Black (Eric)as in the film, emotions turned testy when he assigned Mr. He was whisked into a squad car. At 11 the next morning, Chas slipped the G.T.A.V. With a long, thin face and bleached-blond hair and sideburns, he appeared younger than Gooch had expected. All reinhard art prints ship within 48 hours and include a 30-day money-back guarantee. Warren was like, Ive talked to these guys. Warren and Chas left the other two and staggered to the nearby China Club, a tacky West Side nightclub, which they knew about from the famous Rick James episode of Chappelles Show. Currently an artist-in-residence at Blue Macaw in Boscobel, Reinhard says his first trip to Jamaica has stirred his creative senses, and he couldnt be happier. Built over old tobacco fields in the 80s, they feature ponds with fountains, cookie-cutter brick Colonial houses, street names like Ironbridge Drive and Turnberry Lane, and regulations authorizing penalties for unkempt yards and tacky lawn Santas. Frank Spencer Broker at Keller Williams Realty Published Feb 20, 2017 + Follow This past week we held a training outlining the 21 . It was during his studies at Transylvania University that Spencer became aware of John James Audubons work, The Birds of America. As far as they could see, there were only two ways out: either getting away with the crime or getting arrested for it. Warren and Chas go up to the Rare Book Room, on the third floor, and Warren brings Gooch down hard and fast with a stun gun, making her a non-factor throughout the operation. Warren and Chas then let Eric in and they begin wrapping the Audubons in bedsheets and put any smaller books in backpacks. Oct 16, 2018. Warren and Spencer readied themselves early without waking the others, silently showering, shaving, and putting the finishing touches on their outfits. Nothing like a six year prison sentence to get the creative juices flowing. Mass Market Paperback. That night they had dinner at a Japanese restaurant, followed by drinks at the hotel bar, where Warren chummed up to an Iraq veteran, Spencer almost started a brawl after knocking a table full of drinks over, and Eric picked up a middle-aged Brazilian tourist. Because no one would go to Christie's with stolen books to get them appraisedthat's how we did a lot of stuff, like, we would smoke weed directly under the [security] camera on the Transy campus, park a car right underneath it and then smoke for like an hour. All four, now 22, children of privilege, products of elite Lexington high schools, are serving seven-year sentences for their parts in the crime. In the weeks following the book heist, law enforcement followed leads at Transy and reviewed countless hours of security footage from the U.K. computer lab, to which a police technician had traced the e-mail from Walter Beckman to Gooch. All four were brought to Lexington police headquarters and individually interrogated by F.B.I. as we left we were going to make an anonymous phone call so they knew she was up here, Eric continues. The painting, in digital form, would become a popular screen saver on the F.B.I. We did the robbery as a way to escape, Eric says. Spencer assembled his outfit with even greater care. Once Warren had pulled the cap over Goochs eyes, the two laid a bedsheet on the ground and began piling on the seven Audubon folios they intended to steal (the four-volume Birds of America plus three volumes from another Audubon series). Both boys were spitting images of Mr. Stephens and Mr. Williams. When Halloran inquired about them, Spencer spoke up and offered to fetch them from the car. By five P.M., Warrenas Beckmanwas back on the phone with Gooch explaining that he had missed his appointment because he had been out of town on business. Having told their parents that they were going on a ski trip to West Virginia, that weekend they loaded the loot into Eric's Ford Explorer and took off on the 12-hour drive to New York for their Christie's appointment. (Through his attorney, Allen declined to be interviewed.) They take you in the Special Collections and show you these books, Spencer remembers, including Transys prized Birds of America, by John James Audubon, a four-volume set of life-size engravings the pioneer wildlife artist completed in London in 1838. If we go in there they're not going to suspect that we stole these. They were 20 steps ahead [of the librarian]. Jamaica has been great so far. Eric had propped the folios on the steps with his foot when the librarian appeared at the top of the stairs, beside herself with rage after finding Gooch hog-tied in the Rare Book Room. The next morning, all nerves, he left for the meeting site, a caf within walking distance. In the case of 67-year-old Alan Slattery of the U.K., it prevented a robbery from even happening. With each taking one end of the Audubons, they made their way to the staff-only elevator. A witness had written down a license-plate number, but it was way off. Spencer assembled a small wardrobe of fake beards, gray wigs, and costume glue. He loved that it had been made the screen saver on the F.B.I.s computers. Like if we ever get caught, we're talking about international issues, way past interstate commerce or whatever the hell it is.. The meeting lasted no more than 15 minutes, but still, it was a turning point because the men explained to Warren a crucial step of selling rare books, stolen or otherwise: appraisal by a legitimate auction house. As far as they could see, there were only two ways out: either getting away with the crime or getting arrested for it. Im not going to lie. The truth is, but for one big mistake, they probably would have gotten away with it, an L.P.D. When she asked for contact information, Spencer gave her his cell-phone number. Theyre all slim and dressed identically in cheap sneakers and a khaki uniform emblazoned with their incarceration numbers, and all have hair down to their shoulders. I guess when we did that she went upstairs to check on B.J.. very unofficial.. from an unsuspecting friend and got his hands on zip ties, a wool cap, electrician's tape, and bedsheets. Chas promised to return to pick them up in another car after dropping the minivan off at his moms house. During our interview Eric told me, He was like just a weight on us. The painting is a kaleidoscope of images, including what appears to be a computer, a cell phone, a bong, the Transylvania library, and loose sheets of notepaper, floating above a desiccated one-eyed young man in a watch cap, kicking back on a beat-up couch with a blue dog on his lap. The books were much heavier than the boys had projected, and the pair could handle only three at a time. The story behind their motiveand how they got caught. So we go back down to the bottom floor just to get away from her. The other two would wait around the block in the S.U.V. because she wanted a new Range Rover, like, what? Between studying for his first semesters finals, working out, and painting, Spencer made time to scope out the Special Collections section of the Transy library, reporting back to Warren weeks later that there was zero security other than an old lady librarian named B.J. We will be stronger, better, wiser for going through this together, the three of us. His malaise was likely exacerbated by his parents impending divorce amid his mothers allegations that his father, Big Warren, the celebrated coach of the universitys womens soccer team, had gambled the family into bankruptcy. Id heard about them before, but I didnt know anything about them. Warren had been convinced after spotting a suspicious man loitering near the yellow bungalowwhen he stepped outside, the man disappeared into an unmarked white van with tinted windows and sped off. Eric had propped the folios on the steps with his foot when the librarian appeared at the top of the stairs, beside herself with rage after finding Gooch hog-tied in the Rare Book Room. Undeterred, Warren introduced himself as Terry, firmly shaking hands before sitting down. In fact, wedged in their backpacks was nearly three-quarters of a million dollars worth of books and manuscripts: an 1859 first edition of Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection ($25,000), an illuminated manuscript from 1425 ($200,000), a set of the two-volume 15th-century horticultural masterpiece entitled Hortus Sanitatis ($450,000), 20 original Audubon pencil drawings ($50,000), and Audubons A Synopsis of the Birds of North America ($10,000). It had some tennis trivia in there that I wasnt expecting.. It is more important to get a plan down, as flawed as it may be, and then continue to work on it as the entrepreneur would work on their business over time. Reinhard mentioned a collection of lightly guarded rare books and art at the university library, and the two, while watching Hollywood heist movies, started kicking around the idea of stealing from the $20 million collection. Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. By one o'clock that afternoon, the 227-year-old liberal-arts college was swarming with campus police, uniformed Lexington Police, plainclothes detectives, and forensic teams, as well as local news. In terms of the dollar amount involved and the extraordinary circumstances, the theft was one of the most significant in its history. During a meeting in the basement, Warren convinced the other two that they were going to need a fourth, principally to help haul the nearly 250 pounds in Audubon folios out of the library. We did the robbery as a way to escape, Eric says. Afterward, he was to call Eric up to haul the books in two trips to the G.T.A.V., which was to be driven by Chas. The plan will continue to grow and mature as the leader goes forward. Get the latest chatter, from Kensington Palace and beyond, straight to your inbox. He thought he was much better than everybody else, and he got to the point where he wasnt like us. The untold story of the Transy Book Heist is one part Ocean's 11, one part Harold & Kumar: four Kentucky college kids who had millions to gain and nothing to lose. A member of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group. After a short wait, a young Christie's employee, Melanie Halloran, came out to apologize, as Mr. Leckey, due to an impending public auction, would be unable to see them. Across town at U.K., in a towering cinder-block dorm, Warren's world was spinning apart at a much faster clip. It'll show up on your profile and if approved, on this page. He's probably thinking I blamed him for [stealing] the money, which I never really did. None the less, still super stoked Lex Art League accepted 3 of my artworks. Like, they were doing something serious, talking about the heist, going over the plan, and somebody would make a joke. When Warren arrived, he saw a man fitting that description seated with three other men. I was not in my ordinary largely white existence anymore. My world view actually expanded. They simply ignored him, and the four returned to Lexington. The phone number was registered to a Gary Reinhard of Lexington, Kentucky. The crew arrived in New York City early Sunday morning. Like if we ever get caught, were talking about international issues, way past interstate commerce or whatever the hell it is.. After a brief discussion they chose Chas Allen, a handsome, clean-cut U.K. business major who had started the lawn-care company with Eric the previous summer. The day of the heist was to be Thursday, December 16, one of the last days of final examsthe library would be nearly empty. The next morning, all nerves, he left for the meeting site, a caf within walking distance. Writing from walter.beckman@yahoo.com, Warren sent B. J. Gooch an e-mail confirming Beckman's December 16 appointment at the Rare Book Room to view the Audubons and a few other items. Warren sectioned off a bedroom by hanging bedsheets from the rafters and furnished it with an old mattress and a tangerine easy chair he had picked up from Goodwill. We live in 10 months of the year in Colombia and spend two in the States. Afterward, they returned to the Hilton for an early night. Because no one would go to Christies with stolen books to get them appraisedthats how we did a lot of stuff, like, we would smoke weed directly under the [security] camera on the Transy campus, park a car right underneath it and then smoke for like an hour. The guys hung out together when they could, with Warren frequently conjuring up fantasiesthrough billowing clouds of marijuana smokeof post-heist life for them in the Mediterranean, complete with sleek catamarans and topless women. They climbed onto dorm roofs, where theyd stake out the library for hours at a time, marking down the comings and goings of teachers, students, and security personnel. 2023 Cond Nast. Gooch agreed to reschedule for 11 the next morning. I still feel like I have a long way to go to reach my full potential, and I think Jamaica will be an integral step in that direction., American visual artist Spencer Reinhard, an artist-in-residence at Blue Macaw in Boscobel, St. Mary, The ornithologist in Spencer Reinhard takes gaze. Phase 2 involves the actual theft, and begins when Spencer takes his position at an upper-floor window of the nearby athletic center, where he will be on lookout. They tried to come up with some link the cops could make between them and the theft, but they couldnt. Warren was already busily working out the problem, returning for advice to his underworld contact: What if we had some artwork that we wanted to sell? Warren remembers asking him. A 20-man task force of Lexington police and F.B.I. The partnership flourished, with Warren as the face of the operation and Eric in charge of ID production, until the two had an argument over $2,000 that went missing from Eric's drawer. . The guys hung out together when they could, with Warren frequently conjuring up fantasiesthrough billowing clouds of marijuana smokeof post-heist life for them in the Mediterranean, complete with sleek catamarans and topless women. (Spencer had had to do a rush job on them because his art-history final had run long.) On the morning of December 17, 2004, Betty Jean Gooch, a librarian in the Special Collections Library at Transylvania University, in Lexington, Kentucky, was preparing for her 11 oclock appointment with Walter Beckman, a man she had never met. Photographed by Nan Goldin at the tender age of 19, just about to release his Tony Richardson film. The truth is, but for one obvious, big mistakethe trip to Christiesthey probably would have gotten away with it, a Lexington police detective told me. After a quick powwow in the stacks, the conspirators decided to abort the mission for the time being and retreated to the bungalow. because she wanted a new Range Rover, like, what? Because the boys pleaded guilty, many of the cases crucial details remain unknown even to law enforcement. In exchange, Barry slipped him an e-mail address with instructions to sign off any communication with the name Terry. He scored a joint before checking into a hole-in-the-wall and falling asleep. His work and practice demonstrates not only the redemptive power of art but the struggle of all artists to articulate and convey their voice and message in an increasingly noisy and distracted world. So I kind of go, That would be pretty crazy, wouldn't it? He said, Yeah, that would be kind of crazy. I then said, You know, why don't you look into it more and we'll go from there? Just like very unofficial.. Barry described himself as an older man with a long ponytail and said he'd be wearing a green scarf. The set was one of fewer than 200 produced. Cant have any of this documented. He loved that it had been made the screen saver on the F.B.I. All rights reserved. from an unsuspecting friend and got his hands on zip ties, a wool cap, electricians tape, and bedsheets. The boys readily agreed, and she escorted them through the offices to a small conference room. Though they attended different high schools, both were varsity captains, and both made all-state. Hes probably thinking I blamed him for [stealing] the money, which I never really did. For example, if you want to go on a vacation, you should first decide where you are going and how much money you have . I know the collection is extensive and anything you think I might be interested in seeing, by all means, share, he wrote. Theyre one of Hollywoods brightest starsand most troubled actors. If you want to do something, you should figure out how you are going to do it. That was the point all along. After a brief discussion they chose Chas Allen, a handsome, clean-cut U.K. business major who had started the lawn-care company with Eric the previous summer. 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