A painting by Reinhard, a gifted artist, may offer some clues. Barry described himself as an older man with a long ponytail and said he'd be wearing a green scarf. And so I see Warren go back.. . Artistically, it offered me the freedom to make the work I wanted to make without concern for my audience. Pink, in this case to Chas. So we ate at Pazzo's pizza pub. into a perfect parking space and watched as Eric and Warren entered the library. A female detective went undercover as a Transy student, tailing Spencer while a team staked out the yellow bungalow. Having concluded that the next logical stage of his development was to study art in college he enrolled at Transylvania University in Kentucky. It had been agreed that Warren, with his smooth talk, and Spencer, with his artistic knowledge, would go to the meeting. Add to cart Category: Prints Additional information Us three, we were much thicker than he was.) And what Chas likely didnt know was that, for Warren, Eric, and Spencer, the actual appraisal and sale of the stolen books had become irrelevant to the mission. Aside from harming B. J. Gooch, Spencer, Warren, and Eric maintain that they have no regrets. The meeting ended after 30 minutes, and Ms. Halloran escorted the two out, assuring them that shed be in touch after conferring with her superiors on the best way forward. See also A week later came a terse reply, telling Terry that, if he wanted to sell something, he was going to have to come in person to Amsterdam, as that is where I do business. Both Spencer and Warren were thrilleduntil they realized it would require traveling with a passport. The other two would wait around the block in the S.U.V. It didn't take long to tie in Eric and Chas. agent discovered the stolen books, all undamaged, as well as the five-page typed plan for the heist, an accounting ledger, wigs, instructions for opening a Swiss bank account, and stun guns, which had apparently arrived after the robbery. Two months later, amid a local media frenzy, the four formally pleaded guilty to all six federal charges, including theft of cultural artifacts from a public museum and interstate transportation of stolen property. See, we have no choice now but to create something new, someplace else. Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. We had a few pitchers, feeling each other out. I'm not going to lie. Because of the expense, only Warren made the trip, touching down at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport on a Saturday morning in early March 2004. a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting Bid on Art by Today's Leading Artists. Shortly thereafter he was introduced to a Lexington Catholic alumnus who was making an easy living in identity theft. We can do a license, but now we need a passport. So he says, Come see me in a couple of days or a week, but I need money, $2,500. All right, you know, just another thing, O.K., 2,500 bucks. Once the boys were inside the library, students stared at the ridiculous old-man disguises. Phase 3 is the escape, which involves switching the G.T.A.V. A female detective went undercover as a Transy student, tailing Spencer while a team staked out the yellow bungalow. When an agent called, he got a voice-mail recording, This is Spence. It was only a tennis final, Eric says, but that final that day was actually harder than I thought it was going to be. We felt bad., Warren and Eric rode the elevator to the basement, but they couldnt find the fire exit. Behind the main building and through three blastproof security doors is the prison visitors room, where I meet separately with Likpa, Reinhard, and Borsuk for a series of interviews almost a year into their sentence. 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.. In early 2006, they began serving their sentences in federal prison, with no possibility for parole. They went back up in the elevator, accidentally stopping on the main floor, where they were spotted by another librarian. He added: Its always nice to be with people that are familiar with the area, and Ive been made to feel very welcome. We figured the more obvious [we were], the less likely [we would be suspected]., As it was already nearing the end of the school year, and there was a lot of planning yet to be done, they agreed to postpone the theft until at least the fall. Because this is so much bigger than anything weve done before.. Slattery was arrested and convicted of one successful and two attempted robberies. In seeking to find a voice of ones own the obstacles are myriad, and often many succumb to the inevitable pressures of life and abandon their practice. At only $200 a month, the price was right, as Warren was broke after having shut down his and Spencer's fake-ID business and dropping out of U.K. for the semester to focus full-time on the heist. As she inspected the items, Halloran dutifully took notes, then asked a few questions regarding their provenance, which Spencer answered as best he could under the circumstances. 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. When summer break began, the three returned home to the subdivisions of South Lexington. All these girls I could draw better than when I was in sixth grade.. Spencer received a commission to paint murals at a local school and kept up his soccer training, Eric started a lawn-care business with his friend Chas Allen, and Warren landed a job at a local day camp. I see Warren and Eric bust out of the back door, Spencer says, describing what he saw unfold from his lookout position. They said that this set, Birds of America, sold for $12 million. I said, Twelve million dollars, just sitting there? Eric rented a proper bedroom upstairs, while Spencer moved back into the dorms at Transylvania. The two men followed the librarian into the Rare Book Room, and John closed the door behind them. Boom. He looked like he was dressed from a thrift store, Halloran told the agents. A witness had written down a license-plate number, but it was way off. We are currently living there and have a one-year-old daughter. In early 2006, they began serving their sentences in federal prison, with no possibility for parole. Eric and Chas dropped Warren and Spencer off around the corner from Christie's. Remembering Distinguished Jamaicans Cabinet ministers of 1955 and 1959, Tricia Nicholas makes a mark in corporate governance , Brazil reckons with artistic treasures ruined in riot, A reporter at a dying paper solves a serial murder, ChatGPT, DALL-E 2 and collapse of creative process, Set goals and appropriate their manifestation, Looted ancient sarcophagus returned to Egypt, Heres how your cup of coffee contributes to climate change, Digital Archives: Online editions 2006-Now. Honored to share the PRHBTN fest with you - your mural being the main attraction of course. He also didn't have photos, photocopies, documentation, or even the slightest ability to intelligently discuss the books. For footwear he went with clean white sneakers. All these girls I could draw better than when I was in sixth grade.. But even at that point, it became apparent that Warren and Spencer wouldn't be able to pull it off alone. Afterward, Warren and Spencer briefed the others, and the four went to lunch, where, the boys say, Chas insisted they spend another night in New York and attempt to see Mr. Leckey the next day. They stopped talking entirely and disbanded. 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. Hes probably thinking I blamed him for [stealing] the money, which I never really did. Near the boiler he also jerry-rigged a greenhouse for growing marijuana. It was during his studies at Transylvania University that Spencer became aware of John James Audubons work, The Birds of America. 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. (Big Warren declined to comment on the gambling accusations at the time.) agents were sitting behind them the whole time, listening to their every word. Phase 1 ends when the G.T.A.V. The plan for the actual robbery sets out three distinct phases. They stuffed some of the smaller books Gooch had pulled out for them into their backpacks. Eric would stay on the main floor while Warren subdued Gooch in the Rare Book Room. Bam. Warren introduced himself as Mr. Williams. The investigation of the Transy Book Heist came to an explosive end on the morning of February 11, 2005, as a SWAT unit broke down the front door of the yellow bungalow with a battering ram, blasting stun grenades throughout the building. as we left we were going to make an anonymous phone call so they knew she was up here, Eric continues. [This librarian] doesn't know what we're carrying, but she's like, Where did these kids come from? Eric says. In fact, they all tell me that as the planning picked up in the months before the heist, the three of them came to believe that it was their best and perhaps last chance to create a viable life for themselves after college. Once the boys were inside the library, students stared at the ridiculous old-man disguises. Warren called Gooch back to change Walter Beckman's appointment to three P.M. On the morning of December 16, Warren's carefully scripted plan began to unravel almost immediately. Warren also ordered four stun guns over the Internet. He said his name was John. After several phone calls Warren managed to arrange a meeting in New York. Undeterred, Warren introduced himself as Terry, firmly shaking hands before sitting down. Though they attended different high schools, both were varsity captains, and both made all-state. I guess when we did that she went upstairs to check on B.J.. Before rendering her decision, the judge made preliminary findings that each of the boys was equally culpable, that the value of the books stolen would include only those physically removed from the building, and although Gooch suffered no bodily injury, the stun pen was in fact a dangerous weapon. I can't really get into too much specifics, Eric says, but we were doing all kinds of little scams: making fake IDs, making little things here and there. Jean Smarts Career Timeline: I Dont Take Any of It for Granted, Donald Trump Calls E. Jean Carroll Rape Lawsuit a Hoax And A Lie; Judge Rules Suit Can Proceed, The former president continues to deny knowing the writer, calling her mentally sick., James Marsden Is Still Hoping for a Happy Ending for Canceled, Jeremy Renner Shares Selfie from Hospital Bed After Snow Plow Accident. We will be stronger, better, wiser for going through this together, the three of us. With each taking one end of the Audubons, they made their way to the staff-only elevator. We figured, All right, well, now we just got what we thought would be impossible . As they ran, they stumbled again into Chas, who had returned in another car as promised, just in time to save them and drive Eric to U.K. for his tennis-class exam. American painter Spencer Reinhard is loving the new art he is diligently producing. This is my first time on the island, any island for that matter, he said. One evening it occurred to Spencer that they had used the Walter Beckman Yahoo account to contact both Christies and Gooch. Who do we trust?. Darren Matthews. Oh, yeah, he almost got shot, says Eric, laughing. It was the sense of redemption that I hadn't anticipated. Eric dropped the books, and he and Warren made a run for it. The books were much heavier than the boys had projected, and the pair could handle only three at a time. And Eric calls to him. If you were referring only to my paintings featuring birds, I would say its my ability to render the birds accurately, but in a way that gives them personality.. The reaction to the plan was generally positiveshortly after Thanksgiving, they moved forward. Before rendering her decision, the judge made preliminary findings that each of the boys was equally culpable, that the value of the books stolen would include only those physically removed from the building, and although Gooch suffered no bodily injury, the stun pen was in fact a dangerous weapon. Spencers journey as an aspiring artist may at first appear wholly inimical to achieving that end, though significantly the challenges he faced are far from unique to most aspiring artists. 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 Erics drawer. We can never go back if we wanted toI would rather have not been busted, but all I can say is it feels right in here, and before, in college, it just never did., I remember talking to Eric and Warren one day and I was like, So what, they're going to put us in jail, says Spencer. The investigation of the Transy Book Heist came to an explosive end on the morning of February 11, 2005, as a SWAT unit broke down the front door of the yellow bungalow with a battering ram, blasting stun grenades throughout the building. How the hell would we do this? And he said, I know a guy in New York.. Bam. Barry described himself as an older man with a long ponytail and said hed be wearing a green scarf. Mass Market Paperback. Eric and Chas dropped Warren and Spencer off around the corner from Christies. It'll show up on your profile and if approved, on this page. The take could be more than $5 million. agents were sitting behind them the whole time, listening to their every word. A few minutes later, a short, dark-haired young man, also dressed in a winter coat, cap, and gloves, entered the library. Abstraction allows me to explore multiple paths of my creative desire. Spencer Reinhard Please send me the price list, I am interested in purchasing an original Reinhard After Audubon 2014 to Present After prison I took up a casual interest in birds. I was born in Lexington, Kentucky and was raised by my wonderful parents in what was a largely carefree and happy childhood. We need to just get over this stuff, Eric tells me, explaining how Warren re-entered his life after their falling-out the previous semester. The boys readily agreed, and she escorted them through the offices to a small conference room. (The librarian who chased them out of the library did tell police the correct total of four thieves, even though she had seen only three.) Thanks for the on my post. So we would see parts like that and we would be Oh, this is just like us. Little did the three know that F.B.I. They think we have [the books]. Can't have any of this documented. After a short wait, a young Christies employee, Melanie Halloran, came out to apologize, as Mr. Leckey, due to an impending public auction, would be unable to see them. Bam. Gooch agreed to reschedule for 11 the next morning. We felt bad., Warren and Eric rode the elevator to the basement, but they couldn't find the fire exit. Two months later, amid a local media frenzy, the four formally pleaded guilty to all six federal charges, including theft of cultural artifacts from a public museum and interstate transportation of stolen property. And thats when I came up.. . Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. The contact, who identified himself only as Barry, stipulated that Warren had to bring $500 in good-faith money. A uniformed doorman cheerily welcomed both boys into the lobby, where they informed reception that they were there for Mr. Walter Beckman's appointment with Thomas Leckey, Christie's rare-book specialist. The next day, they worked off their hangovers by checking out Ground Zero before strolling into the bustle of Chinatown for lunch. As a precautionary measure, they left the books in the car. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. In his talk, Spencer speaks to how he found a unique, unexpected sense of freedom and honesty in his art, not constrained by societal influences or monetary pressures. Sign up for The Gleaners morning and evening newsletters. Then, everything becomes meta. The plan for the actual robbery sets out three distinct phases. The thieves left no fingerprints behind, and there were almost no witnesses. 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. 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