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. 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. 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. agents were sitting behind them the whole time, listening to their every word. 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. In early 2006, they began serving their sentences in federal prison, with no possibility for parole. The other was short and quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and a matching scarf. It was the sense of redemption that I hadn't anticipated. Waiting for the law to snatch them was nerve-racking, but they went on with their lives as if nothing had been amiss. . The painting, in digital form, would become a popular screen saver on the F.B.I. 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. Pink, in this case to Chas. 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. 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. 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. More important, the basement was secluded. 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. Only by committing a felony could they ensure that they would never end up living back in the sterile, suburban world of the subdivisions. 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. It'll show up on your profile and if approved, on this page. I developed techniques that no one that I know of has done. (Throughout the interviews with the three, it became clear that Chas was the odd man out among the group. And I pledged a fraternity, but I really didnt get into that too much. 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. 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. 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. He was just so unbearable. The severity of the requested sentences was predicated on the dual propositions that, although the Audubon volumes had never been physically removed from the library, according to the letter of the law they were nonetheless stolenincreasing the monetary value of the crimeand that the Black Cobra Stun Pen used to subdue B. J. Gooch not only inflicted physical harm but was in actuality a dangerous weapon. Worse still for the defendants, B. J. Goochs ordeal had become a cause clbre among librarians, many of whom wrote letters to the judge arguing against leniency. Even if we wanted to, they won't let us. Far from being social outcasts, they had been popular athletes, and two were on some form of college scholarship. He looked like he was dressed from a thrift store, Halloran told the agents. Writing from walter.beckman@yahoo.com, Warren sent B. J. Gooch an e-mail confirming Beckmans December 16 appointment at the Rare Book Room to view the Audubons and a few other items. We did the robbery as a way to escape, Eric says. The books were much heavier than the boys had projected, and the pair could handle only three at a time. So we ate at Pazzo's pizza pub. Quote tagged! 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. They're 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. 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. Eric dropped the books, and he and Warren made a run for it. They went back up in the elevator, accidentally stopping on the main floor, where they were spotted by another librarian. 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.. Can't have any of this documented. That was the plan. As she was heading toward a display case, Gooch felt a tingling on her right arm and collapsed to the floor. 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. They stopped talking entirely and disbanded. They also did considerable research on the Internet, using such key terms as auction house appraisals, stun guns, and Swiss bank accounts. For inspiration, they watched heist movies like Oceans 11 and Snatch. Bam. Eric couldnt get hold of his friends car, leaving Chas to borrow a Dodge Caravan his mother was fortuitously selling the next day, the boys say. Having concluded that the next logical stage of his development was to study art in college he enrolled at Transylvania University in Kentucky. The contact, who identified himself only as Barry, stipulated that Warren had to bring $500 in good-faith money. They stopped talking entirely and disbanded. He also didn't have photos, photocopies, documentation, or even the slightest ability to intelligently discuss the books. It was just funny because weve been in a lot of places that theyve been, Eric says. Just days before their arrests the three even took in a movie: Oceans 12. The painting, in digital form, would become a popular screen saver on the F.B.I. 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. So we get the passport from the dude, plane tickets. Now we cant ever go back there. The others spent time in the library, too, taking notes on staff routines and viable escape routes. He said his name was John. For Spencer it all started with a series of mild disappointments. That was the plan. Between studying for his first semester's 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 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, theyre going to put us in jail, says Spencer. 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. As a child he drew and painted and his abilities led him to consider a career as an artist whilst at High School. After the Halloran interview the F.B.I. Shortly thereafter he was introduced to a Lexington Catholic alumnus who was making an easy living in identity theft. So we go back to the guy in Lexington and we say, Listen, we want to go somewhere, we want to go out of the country, and we need documentation, Warren explains. I've met with them, Eric continues. Nothing panned out until mid-January, when, following a federal subpoena, Yahoo delivered all the data on its servers related to the walter.beckman@yahoo.com address. Eric and Chas dropped Warren and Spencer off around the corner from Christie's. 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. Phase 3 is the escape, which involves switching the G.T.A.V. 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. 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. 's computers. 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. I never intended to paint them and I resisted the idea but in the end I couldnt help but indulge the irony. 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. They went back up in the elevator, accidentally stopping on the main floor, where they were spotted by another librarian. 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. 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. Warren had run up the side of the hill and frantically ran off. The boys readily agreed, and she escorted them through the offices to a small conference room. The day of the heist was to be Thursday, December 16, one of the last days of final examsthe library would be nearly empty. Pink, in this case to Chas. When the four boys were arrested the news was met with disbelief, as none of them had been in any serious trouble before. He loved that it had been made the screen saver on the F.B.I. All four were brought to Lexington police headquarters and individually interrogated by F.B.I. Once Warren had pulled the cap over Gooch's 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). When the four boys were arrested the news was met with disbelief, as none of them had been in any serious trouble before. I guess when we did that she went upstairs to check on B.J.. Warren went up to the third floor to meet Gooch, while Eric waited downstairs for him to call. Spencer's life story and his practice are indelibly linked, thus the works he has created are a highly personal meditation on the journey Spencer Reinhard experienced. Boom. 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 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. Gooch agreed to reschedule for 11 the next morning. . Believe me, you havent heard the last of us yet.. Inside were the books, wrapped in sheets and pillowcases. Phase 1 ends when the G.T.A.V. Only by committing a felony could they ensure that they would never end up living back in the sterile, suburban world of the subdivisions. Whilst Spencers life path may have been unorthodox at times one can only but admire what it has led him to. Warren and Spencer readied themselves early without waking the others, silently showering, shaving, and putting the finishing touches on their outfits. Buried in the files was a series of e-mails to Christies in New York. from an unsuspecting friend and got his hands on zip ties, a wool cap, electrician's tape, and bedsheets. Copyright 2023 The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited. Though she couldn't recall much else about her assailants, one odd detail stood out. Boom. Leave a message. A Google search of Spencer Reinhard brought up numerous hits for soccer in the Lexington area. I know the collection is extensive and anything you think I might be interested in seeing, by all means, share, he wrote. Spencer, meanwhile, was accepted to Transylvania on an arts scholarship, his sights firmly set on a career in graphic design. Reinhards works will be exhibited at his residencys final exhibition on May 8, culminating in May 16s big reveal. 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. I'm utterly curious about decision-making | Sharing lessons learned from the thousands of decisions I've studied and made | Founder https://www.resolve.blog. Meanwhile, Eric lined up the G.T.A.V. Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. Attempting perfection in writing a business plan will only lead to one end result: the business plan will never be written. I showed artistic ability from a young age and was selected to attend SCAPA in the fourth grade. Barry described himself as an older man with a long ponytail and said hed be wearing a green scarf. The contact, who identified himself only as Barry, stipulated that Warren had to bring $500 in good-faith money. Returning five minutes later with a rolling red suitcase in tow, Spencer opened it on the conference table. To have time to properly apply the disguises, he tried to reschedule his art-history final for later in the day on the 16th, but was unsuccessful. For added anonymity, Warren bleached his hair blond that night. And Eric calls to him. notified all the airports in the area, dispatched officers to surrounding neighborhoods, and called the F.B.I. The reaction to the plan was generally positiveshortly after Thanksgiving, they moved forward. . All Rights Reserved. Among the prisoners are three of the four unlikely masterminds behind the Transy Book Heist: Warren Lipka, Spencer Reinhard, and Eric Borsuk. Um. After four years in New Jersey I was released back to Lexington where I lived with my parents and continued to paint. After several phone calls Warren managed to arrange a meeting in New York. At 11 the next morning, Chas slipped the G.T.A.V. 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. and having to sign a fucking book. By hitting the ball back into Warren's 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. To have time to properly apply the disguises, he tried to reschedule his art-history final for later in the day on the 16th, but was unsuccessful. They climbed onto dorm roofs, where they'd stake out the library for hours at a time, marking down the comings and goings of teachers, students, and security personnel. 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. 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 Chappelle's Show. But even at that point, it became apparent that Warren and Spencer wouldnt be able to pull it off alone. I get the call on the cell phone. I was surprised he didnt.. 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. Eric couldn't get hold of his friend's car, leaving Chas to borrow a Dodge Caravan his mother was fortuitously selling the next day, the boys say. Then, everything becomes meta. 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. She agreed. Im not sure, but it was a lot. 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