Phase 2 ends when the loot is loaded into the G.T.A.V. Returning five minutes later with a rolling red suitcase in tow, Spencer opened it on the conference table. Sign up for The Gleaners morning and evening newsletters. Starting with a 1970s Pierre Cardin canary-yellow blazer that had belonged to his grandfather, he wore a dress shirt with an ostentatiously large collar and a gold silk scarf. Darren Matthews. As they scooted down the stairs their arms gave out and they stopped to catch their breath. In the fall of 2004, Warren Lipka moved into the unfinished basement. Still shaken from her ordeal, Gooch, in her 50s, told police that shortly after entering the Rare Book Room with the two men she had been struck on the arm with a Taserlike weapon, her hands and feet were bound with zip ties, and a wool cap was pulled over her eyes. If we go in there theyre not going to suspect that we stole these. Warren went up to the third floor to meet Gooch, while Eric waited downstairs for him to call. Warren was like, Ive talked to these guys. The F.B.I. On the second-floor landing, Chas, in high-end flannel pajamas and thinking they were being robbed, pulled out a derringer, only to drop the weapon at the last moment. During our interview Eric told me, He was like just a weight on us. Warren also ordered four stun guns over the Internet. A 20-man task force of Lexington police and F.B.I. In the fall of 2004, Warren Lipka moved into the unfinished basement. Ad Choices, The untold story of the Transy Book Heist is one part, Donald Trump to Evangelicals: You Cant Break Up With Me Because Im Breaking Up With You First, Reality Is Submerged in Fantasy: The Villages Is a Boomers UtopiaAnd Demographic Time Bomb, Maybe instead of being one among many, [this film] will make me the one, a fresh-faced Rob Lowe told us in 1984. [Warrens] like, Come on up, Eric remembers. 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. American painter Spencer Reinhard is loving the new art he is diligently producing. Buried in the files was a series of e-mails to Christies in New York. 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. He was also less cordial and more agitated in person, asking Gooch soon after arriving if he could invite a friend along to see the books. The other two would wait around the block in the S.U.V. Mr. Beckman now wanted these books appraised. Seeing something in the wayward Warren, the preppy grifter pitched him the idea of selling fake Kentucky drivers licenses in the U.K. dorms. Inside were the books, wrapped in sheets and pillowcases. He said his name was John. The L.P.D. We're going to need more people, Warren remembers thinking. Im not going to lie. 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. One evening it occurred to Spencer that they had used the Walter Beckman Yahoo account to contact both Christies and Gooch. Despite the differing temperamentsand the disapproval of Spencers parentsthe two were best friends from the age of eight, a friendship that revolved largely around soccer. The phone number was registered to a Gary Reinhard of Lexington, Kentucky. In the early evening, they say they smoked some celebratory Kentucky Bluegrass weed they had stashed away for the occasion. So we go back down to the bottom floor just to get away from her. If we go in there they're not going to suspect that we stole these. It was very punishing, that first couple of months in college. He thought he was much better than everybody else, and he got to the point where he wasn't like us. Still shaken from her ordeal, Gooch, in her 50s, told police that shortly after entering the Rare Book Room with the two men she had been struck on the arm with a Taserlike weapon, her hands and feet were bound with zip ties, and a wool cap was pulled over her eyes. We'll all be still young, Warren says. I attended Tates Creek High School, where I continued to take art classes, but most of my time was dedicated to playing soccer. 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 . The two men followed the librarian into the Rare Book Room, and John closed the door behind them. Undeterred, Warren introduced himself as Terry, firmly shaking hands before sitting down. It had some tennis trivia in there that I wasn't expecting.. and having to sign a fucking book. By hitting the ball back into Warrens court, Spencer thought he would keep that thrilling flicker of criminality burning for a bit longer, while fully expecting there to be an insurmountable obstacle somewhere down the road. 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. He thought he was much better than everybody else, and he got to the point where he wasnt like us. Frank Spencer Broker at Keller Williams Realty Published Feb 20, 2017 + Follow This past week we held a training outlining the 21 . 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 crews covering the developing Transy Book Heist, a crime that would one day be listed among the F.B.I. That night Chas snapped, they say, fearing the Christie's book appraisalthe Jesus bolt holding Warren's entire heist plan togetherwas in danger of falling through. A witness had written down a license-plate number, but it was way off. In all my art classes I was the only guyin with a bunch of girls who didn't have any idea what they wanted to do. 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. . He said, You do that and you are free then to give them to us when you can. O.K., great. Warren jumped at the opportunity and recruited another adrift freshman, his old high-school soccer teammate Eric Borsuk, as a partner. Several weeks before Spencer was approached by Warren about the fake-ID business, he had been on a freshman-orientation tour of Transy, including the library and its exceptional collection of rare books and manuscripts. Oh, yeah, he almost got shot, says Eric, laughing. 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. As a precautionary measure, they left the books in the car. It was just funny because we've been in a lot of places that they've been, Eric says. for a second vehicle at a secret location, which, according to Warrens plan, is used to transport team and loot to temporary resting place. After the heist, since it is certain that the stolen books will be entered into art-theft databases within a week, they have to get the books appraised at Christies in New York immediately. That night Chas snapped, they say, fearing the Christies book appraisalthe Jesus bolt holding Warrens entire heist plan togetherwas in danger of falling through. As a precautionary measure, they left the books in the car. Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. 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. very unofficial.. 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. When Warren arrived, he saw a man fitting that description seated with three other men. None the less, still super stoked Lex Art League accepted 3 of my artworks. Near the boiler he also jerry-rigged a greenhouse for growing marijuana. Because this is so much bigger than anything we've done before.. It immediately had kind of sparked my imagination, like a fantasy., O.K., so were sitting in the car, smoking weed, Warren recalls, and then Spencer said, I just took a tour in that library, and theres shit sitting there you wouldnt believe. When summer break began, the three returned home to the subdivisions of South Lexington. (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.) I see Warren and Eric bust out of the back door, Spencer says, describing what he saw unfold from his lookout position. Even if they did steal the books, for example, how would they ever sell them? a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting Bid on Art by Today's Leading Artists. And the woman there says, We had a set just like this that we sold four years ago for like $12 million. It could have been eight. We spoke about his paintings, especially A Plan to Fail. After researching auction houses online, Warren singled out Christie's in New York. For added anonymity, Warren bleached his hair blond that night. This is the story you didnt get from the film. So we ate at Pazzo's pizza pub. Titled A Plan to Fail, it was part of a series he had done on the crime for a local art gallery while out on bond. The boys readily agreed, and she escorted them through the offices to a small conference room. When the four boys were arrested the news was met with disbelief, as none of them had been in any serious trouble before. 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. 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. It was just funny because weve been in a lot of places that theyve been, Eric says. Yet he did allow and encourage the interpretation of his art as an abrogation of space and time and, above all, history. In high school, Warren, a lanky six-footer with a mop of brown hair, was a popular jock and a class clown who delighted his classmates by bear-hugging his nemesis, the dean of students, at graduation. Aside from harming B. J. Gooch, Spencer, Warren, and Eric maintain that they have no regrets. 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. Wearing a heavy coat, gloves, and a wool cap, Beckman signed the visitors' log. into a perfect parking space and watched as Eric and Warren entered the library. Shop - Spencer Reinhard A selection of some of my works available in limited edition print. For footwear he went with clean white sneakers. 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 crew arrived in New York City early Sunday morning. 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. Spencer believed it was an insurmountable problem. Twelve million dollars, just sitting there? (Because Spencer was a Transy student, he risked being recognized in the library.) Copyright 2023 The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited. Jamaica has been great so far. Because of the expense, only Warren made the trip, touching down at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport on a Saturday morning in early March 2004. Chas turned the G.T.A.V. Chas cursed Warren as an incompetent, and condemned the other two as burnouts, demanding that the three figure out a way to get the books appraised so they could move on to the next phase of the plan. Warren and Spencer readied themselves early without waking the others, silently showering, shaving, and putting the finishing touches on their outfits. The Lexington Police Department's commercial-burglary squad was assigned to the case. Spencer had underestimated his friend's resolve. My world view actually expanded. The set was one of fewer than 200 produced. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. and Lexington police put the pair under surveillance. 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. Quit struggling, B.J., or do you want to feel more pain? she remembered the man saying. 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. The meeting ended after 30 minutes, and Ms. Halloran escorted the two out, assuring them that she'd be in touch after conferring with her superiors on the best way forward. The set was one of fewer than 200 produced. Though they attended different high schools, both were varsity captains, and both made all-state. Eric rented a proper bedroom upstairs, while Spencer moved back into the dorms at Transylvania. It'll show up on your profile and if approved, on this page. It was the sense of redemption that I hadnt anticipated. April 20, 2022. 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. Eric Borsuk, Spencer Reinhard, Charles 'Chas' Allen IIand Warren Lipka hatched a grand plan to steal rare books from their uni library Credit: KKYT. 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. Once I was off of probation, I was able to travel and eventually made a trip to Colombia where I painted my first large-scale mural and met my wife Marcela. 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. But even at that point, it became apparent that Warren and Spencer wouldnt be able to pull it off alone. Although the two hadnt really been in contact in the first few months of school, Warren knew that Spencers artistic talents would be an asset. A member of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group. I know the collection is extensive and anything you think I might be interested in seeing, by all means, share, he wrote. Chas promised to return to pick them up in another car after dropping the minivan off at his moms house. Afraid to Look - Spencer Reinhard Home / Prints / Afraid to Look Afraid to Look $ 789 Full sized print of acrylic on canvas painting. 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. I had so few distractions to take me away from my work, and only by bettering myself could escape the belief that I was losing my best years. Hes probably thinking I blamed him for [stealing] the money, which I never really did. For one, its cheaper, and this allowed me to work less and spend more time with my young daughter. By far the most common theory around town was that the heist had been just a frat prank that spun way out of control. They stopped talking entirely and disbanded. Spencer was arrested in a simultaneous raid on his dorm room at Transy. Like Barry, the men were immediately put off by Warrens youth, and even more so by the fact that he hadnt brought any of the books with him to Amsterdam. The other was short and quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and a matching scarf. She described one of the young men as about six feet tall, with bleached-blond hair, well dressed in a nice suit, and very talkative. 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. The day of the heist was to be Thursday, December 16, one of the last days of final examsthe library would be nearly empty. These peoples perspectives, because they have money, theyre tweaked., In October of his freshman year, Warren quit the U.K. soccer team, forfeiting his scholarship. By one oclock 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 crews covering the developing Transy Book Heist, a crime that would one day be listed among the F.B.I.s all-time most significant art-theft cases. For Spencer it all started with a series of mild disappointments. I was surprised he didn't.. Though she couldn't recall much else about her assailants, one odd detail stood out. See also 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. 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. As they scooted down the stairs their arms gave out and they stopped to catch their breath. Its great to be the inspiration for this project., Two weeks into his stay, Reinhard, an ardent ornithologist, whose works draw inspiration from late Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning, feels that his greatest artistic asset is his versatility. The meeting was scheduled for the next morning on the southern edge of Central Park near the Plaza Hotel. Like if we ever get caught, were talking about international issues, way past interstate commerce or whatever the hell it is.. Spencer had underestimated his friends resolve. notified all the airports in the area, dispatched officers to surrounding neighborhoods, and called the F.B.I. 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. In the morning, Warren says, he left two messages with Leckey's secretary and two more that afternoon. The two boys sought cover from the cops in the sprawling grounds of the housing projects. (Because Spencer was a Transy student, he risked being recognized in the library.) Now the hard partwe have to steal them. I was nervous. Fuck Biden, Dont Tread on Me, and a Wisconsin Death Trip for Our Times. Because the boys pleaded guilty, many of the case's crucial details remain unknown even to law enforcement. received two additional pieces of evidence from Christies: security-camera footage of the meeting and a cell-phone number the men had left behind. That afternoon they worked their way back uptown, to scope out Christie's steel-and-glass headquarters before their Tuesday appointment. Along the way a stoned Spencer read aloud from the purloined first edition of On the Origin of Species, particularly fascinated by the section on how the ears of domesticated animals have drooped over generations due to the disuse of the muscles of the ear from the animals not being much alarmed by danger.. 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. Near the boiler he also jerry-rigged a greenhouse for growing marijuana. Warren called me one night and he's like, We need to get together. 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