and local detectives. 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. We told B.J. In all my art classes I was the only guyin with a bunch of girls who didnt have any idea what they wanted to do. possibly taken care of, Spencer tells me. Spencer, feeling increasingly disaffected with school life himself, readily accepted the offer. you know, it's. it was. The press invariably described them as good boys from good familiesupper-middle-class kids afforded every opportunity, the ones with the most to lose. Spencer assembled a small wardrobe of fake beards, gray wigs, and costume glue. 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. (Throughout the interviews with the three, it became clear that Chas was the odd man out among the group. That night Chas snapped, they say, fearing the Christies book appraisalthe Jesus bolt holding Warrens entire heist plan togetherwas in danger of falling through. But even at that point, it became apparent that Warren and Spencer wouldnt be able to pull it off alone. The F.B.I. 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. In early February 2005, the F.B.I. 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 did the robbery as a way to escape, Eric says. notified all the airports in the area, dispatched officers to surrounding neighborhoods, and called the F.B.I. All four were brought to Lexington police headquarters and individually interrogated by F.B.I. Honored to share the PRHBTN fest with you - your mural being the main attraction of course. Because the boys pleaded guilty, many of the cases crucial details remain unknown even to law enforcement. An American Animals coloring book, as well as original drawings Skip to content Spencer Reinhard Home After Audubon Prison Period Abstract Abstract color series Post prison Abstract About Shop Commissions Contact Menu Home After Audubon Prison Period A painting by Reinhard, a gifted artist, may offer some clues. By far the most common theory was that the heist had been just a frat prank that spun way out of control. 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. He then explains: "And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief. Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Charles Allen II were all between the ages of 19 and 20 at the time of the robbery. I love that my kids will grow up seeing both worlds and experiencing both cultures. 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. The Lexington Police Departments commercial-burglary squad was assigned to the case. onto nearby Fourth Street and careened through traffic before stopping a mile farther on, in front of a predominantly black housing project. (Having seen their fair share of heist movies, they knew how dangerous it was to leave a paper trail.) believing that they had escaped with next to nothing. The stun guns Warren had ordered never arrived, so he drove around town and returned with a Black Cobra Stun Pen, and had Spencer zap him and Eric to test its knockdown power. I was in interaction with people from nearly every country in the Americas, he reflected on the time spent between prisons in Kentucky and Texas. You know, most people look at that painting as if it was a plan destined to fail, but at the same time, we were planning to fail., In a few years well be released. Us three, we were much thicker than he was.) And what Chas likely didn't know was that, for Warren, Eric, and Spencer, the actual appraisal and sale of the stolen books had become irrelevant to the mission. Phase 3 is the escape, which involves switching the G.T.A.V. 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. 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. 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. agents were sitting behind them the whole time, listening to their every word. 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. Afraid to Look - Spencer Reinhard Home / Prints / Afraid to Look Afraid to Look $ 789 Full sized print of acrylic on canvas painting. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. The Lexington Police Department's commercial-burglary squad was assigned to the case. 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. With each taking one end of the Audubons, they made their way to the staff-only elevator. Eric rented a proper bedroom upstairs, while Spencer moved back into the dorms at Transylvania. Once safely back in Lexington, the two created a Yahoo account and sent off the e-mail in which they claimed to have unspecified rare books in their possession, using the name Terry, as instructed. Pink, in this case to Chas. I'd heard about them before, but I didn't know anything about them. 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. During their sentencing hearing, in December 2005, the federal prosecutor asked for 11 to 14 years each for Eric, Chas, and Spencer, and 14 to 17 years for Warren, deeming him the leader, organizer, and recruiter. Not what I expected, not what I wanted it to be, Warren says. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. But even at that point, it became apparent that Warren and Spencer wouldn't be able to pull it off alone. American painter Spencer Reinhard is loving the new art he is diligently producing. Even if we wanted to, they wont let us. 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 Darwin's 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 Audubon's A Synopsis of the Birds of North America ($10,000). Even if they did steal the books, for example, how would they ever sell them? He said, You do that and you are free then to give them to us when you can. O.K., great. Seeing something in the wayward Warren, the preppy grifter pitched him the idea of selling fake Kentucky drivers licenses in the U.K. dorms. I was expecting to play soccer quite a lot, but the coach was a completely different person once I got on the team, he tells me. I never intended to paint them and I resisted the idea but in the end I couldnt help but indulge the irony. When not at practice, Warren spent his time smoking pot, watching Comedy Central, and reading German philosophy. Aside from harming B. J. Gooch, Spencer, Warren, and Eric maintain that they have no regrets. No response. Once the boys were inside the library, students stared at the ridiculous old-man disguises. He took a cab to Dam Square, an old hippie hangout in the center of the city he had read about on the Internet. For footwear he went with clean white sneakers. Ive met with them, Eric continues. Though she couldn't recall much else about her assailants, one odd detail stood out. When she asked for contact information, Spencer gave her his cell-phone number. 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. Realizing that the only way out was through the main floor, they took the elevator up once again and carried the books into a back stairwell that led to another exit. 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. Dressed for success in a tailored dark-blue suit his parents had bought for special occasions and future job interviews, Warren cultivated the young-conservative look, using a Windsor knot on his red tie and giving his wing tips a last-minute buff. What they would tell me, then, is their version of eventsand the only complete account of the planning, execution, and aftermath of the heist. In the case of 67-year-old Alan Slattery of the U.K., it prevented a robbery from even happening. When an agent called, he got a voice-mail recording, This is Spence. And I pledged a fraternity, but I really didnt get into that too much. Spencer, meanwhile, was short, wiry, distant, and in many ways Warrens opposite: an over-scheduled, over-achieving, diamond-tipped drill of a kid who excelled at whatever he set himself to. onto nearby Fourth Street and careened through traffic before stopping a mile farther on, in front of a predominantly black housing project. As they took their seats in the conference room, Warren explained that he and Mr. Stephens are the sole representatives of Walter Beckman, whom he described as a very private individual from Boston who had recently inherited several valuable rare books and manuscripts. The stun guns Warren had ordered never arrived, so he drove around town and returned with a Black Cobra Stun Pen, and had Spencer zap him and Eric to test its knockdown power. Can't have any of this documented. I was not in my ordinary largely white existence anymore. His malaise was likely exacerbated by his parents' impending divorce amid his mother's allegations that his father, Big Warren, the celebrated coach of the university's women's soccer team, had gambled the family into bankruptcy. 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. 's all-time most significant art-theft cases. (Throughout the interviews with the three, it became clear that Chas was the odd man out among the group. All these girls I could draw better than when I was in sixth grade.. They stopped talking entirely and disbanded. If we got away with it, wed be in Europe living this crazy life thinking we were Oceans 11 types. I was surprised he didnt.. When she asked for contact information, Spencer gave her his cell-phone number. The other two would wait around the block in the S.U.V. Faced with overwhelming evidence, they all eventually confessed. It had been agreed that Warren, with his smooth talk, and Spencer, with his artistic knowledge, would go to the meeting. She agreed. Because this is so much bigger than anything we've done before.. So we get the passport from the dude, plane tickets. The L.P.D. a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting Bid on Art by Today's Leading Artists. There were all sorts of theories as to why they had done it: they were drug addicts; they had amassed large gambling debtsor Lipkas father had, and the boys did it to save the familys honor (the variant most popular with the local papers). is parked in front of the library and the four are in 1st Position at bottom of stairs of library.. Handwriting can be an important piece of evidence in a criminal investigation. 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. 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. because she wanted a new Range Rover, like, what? 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. It was the sense of redemption that I hadnt anticipated. 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. He loved that it had been made the screen saver on the F.B.I.s computers. Ad Choices. Chas turned the G.T.A.V. Across town at U.K., in a towering cinder-block dorm, Warren's world was spinning apart at a much faster clip. Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. I never intended to paint them and I resisted the idea but in the end I couldn't help but indulge the irony. Bam. Bam. Despite the differing temperamentsand the disapproval of Spencer's parentsthe two were best friends from the age of eight, a friendship that revolved largely around soccer. They surveyed the offices of the campus police. The next day, they worked off their hangovers by checking out Ground Zero before strolling into the bustle of Chinatown for lunch. Like, they were doing something serious, talking about the heist, going over the plan, and somebody would make a joke. Though they attended different high schools, both were varsity captains, and both made all-state. 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