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2 charged with stealing $8 million in rare books and items from Pittsburgh library
A version of Isaac Newton’s “Principia,” among the most influential books in science, said to be worth $900,000.
The archivist who oversaw a special collection of rare books at the central library in Pittsburgh walked out of the building with these and other items — sometimes in plain sight — and sold them to a local bookstore owner, authorities said, in a scheme that lasted nearly 20 years.
The library archivist, Gregory Priore, 61, and the bookstore owner, John Schulman, 54, were arrested on Friday on numerous criminal charges including theft and criminal conspiracy, authorities said.
They are accused of trafficking several hundred rare books, maps and other items worth more than $8 million in total, records show. More than $1 million worth of items, including the Newton volume, have been recovered.
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Even in the niche world of rare-book dealers, the value of the items stolen is stunning, said Michael Vinson, a dealer based in New Mexico who is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America.
“This is a huge deal,” Vinson said, noting that most rare-book dealers have annual sales between $500,000 and $1 million.
Priore, the archivist, could not be reached for comment on Friday night. A lawyer representing him did not immediately respond to an email.
Schulman did not respond to requests for comment. His lawyer, Robert G. Del Greco Jr., told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his client was a “titan” in the book community. “The complaint sets forth serious allegations, and we are treating them as such,” he said.
The partnership between Priore and Schulman began in the late 1990s, according to an affidavit filed by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, which investigated the case.
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Priore told authorities that he used the money to stay “afloat” and help pay tuition for his four children. “I should have never done this,” he said. “I loved that room, my whole working life, and greed came over me.”
“I did it,” he said, “but Schulman spurred me on.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Sarah Mervosh © 2018 The New York Times
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