The other was short and quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and a matching scarf. I was nervous. 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. He feared being restricted in any way. 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. He was still enrolled, but only nominally, and remained on the fringes of campus life. Eric rented a proper bedroom upstairs, while Spencer moved back into the dorms at Transylvania. After becoming disillusioned with the college experience, I rebelled from the sterile, privileged life I was leading by committing six felonies which famously landed me in prison for 87 months. According to the revised plan, they would ditch the old-man disguises and only Warren and Eric would enter the library. With each taking one end of the Audubons, they made their way to the staff-only elevator. 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. It was during his studies at Transylvania University that Spencer became aware of John James Audubons work, The Birds of America. 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. Phase 2 ends when the loot is loaded into the G.T.A.V. The F.B.I. Ive met with them, Eric continues. Like if we ever get caught, we're talking about international issues, way past interstate commerce or whatever the hell it is.. As she was heading toward a display case, Gooch felt a tingling on her right arm and collapsed to the floor. In early 2006, they began serving their sentences in federal prison, with no possibility for parole. In between soccer practice, classes, painting, and studying, Spencer drew detailed sketches of the inside of the Special Collections Library and the adjacent Rare Book Room, making several appointments with the Special Collections librarian, Betty Jean Gooch, to scout the premises. I developed techniques that no one that I know of has done. I attended Tates Creek High School, where I continued to take art classes, but most of my time was dedicated to playing soccer. Theyre one of Hollywoods brightest starsand most troubled actors. According to the revised plan, they would ditch the old-man disguises and only Warren and Eric would enter the library. After researching auction houses online, Warren singled out Christies in New York. Through it all, I never stopped making art. 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. When they arrived on campus in the replacement G.T.A.V., they couldnt find a parking space anywhere near the library. Nothing like a six year prison sentence to get the creative juices flowing. 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. These people's perspectives, because they have money, they're tweaked., In October of his freshman year, Warren quit the U.K. soccer team, forfeiting his scholarship. 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. 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. Though they attended different high schools, both were varsity captains, and both made all-state. As far as they could see, there were only two ways out: either getting away with the crime or getting arrested for it. Um. Twelve million dollars, just sitting there? 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. 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 . Chas backs up [the van] and almost hits the woman as Eric comes around to the door. sent a team to interview Melanie Halloran, who told the agents about her meeting with Mr. Stephens and Mr. Williams. He was just so unbearable. He topped off his new living quarters with the last of his worldly belongings: a large-screen television, a DVD player, and a Sony PlayStation. 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. 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. She also said that she was so suspicious and put off by the young men's youth and demeanor that she had recommended to her boss that they not pursue the business. He was whisked into a squad car. 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. Frightened and alone in an unfriendly neighborhood and weighed down with priceless books, Warren and Eric barreled down the street, frantically trying to hail a police cruiser to rescue them. Improvising on the plan, he kicked Eric and Warren out on the street, believing three men in a gray minivan would draw too much attention. They had reserved a room in the same Midtown Hilton that Spencer and Warren had stayed in nearly a year earlier. The L.P.D. Returning five minutes later with a rolling red suitcase in tow, Spencer opened it on the conference table. The contact, who identified himself only as Barry, stipulated that Warren had to bring $500 in good-faith money. But before long they were put to chase once again, this time by two local thugs. as we left we were going to make an anonymous phone call so they knew she was up here, Eric continues. All Rights Reserved. Get the latest chatter, from Kensington Palace and beyond, straight to your inbox. Afterward, they returned to the Hilton for an early night. Around Halloween, Warren drafted a working plan, which he presented to the other three in the basement. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. 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. 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. The two boys sought cover from the cops in the sprawling grounds of the housing projects. Copyright 2023 The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited. Chas not only lived in the yellow bungalow but also was a part owner of it with his father, a prominent Lexington real-estate investor. He was visibly unnerved, Warren remembers. I was kind of skeptical, continues Spencer, but the way I rationalized it was: it's the biggest auction house. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Back at Warren's later that afternoon, the boys were transfixed by local coverage of the Transy Book Heist. According to the news, it appeared that neither Gooch nor anyone else was able to provide the police with an accurate description of the boys. He covered his tracks by using public phones and campus computers. 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. She offered to take his place. That afternoon they worked their way back uptown, to scope out Christies steel-and-glass headquarters before their Tuesday appointment. As a child he drew and painted and his abilities led him to consider a career as an artist whilst at High School. They stuffed some of the smaller books Gooch had pulled out for them into their backpacks. For Spencer it all started with a series of mild disappointments. After prison I took up a casual interest in birds. 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. Because no one would go to Christie's with stolen books to get them appraisedthat's 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. 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. a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting Bid on Art by Today's Leading Artists. Spencer believed it was an insurmountable problem. In terms of the dollar amount involved and the extraordinary circumstances, the theft was one of the most significant in its history. So I kind of go, That would be pretty crazy, wouldnt it? He said, Yeah, that would be kind of crazy. I then said, You know, why dont you look into it more and well go from there? Just like . A few minutes later, a short, dark-haired young man, also dressed in a winter coat, cap, and gloves, entered the library. Spencer would communicate with Warren from a cell phone, which Warren would steal from a student in the morning. Because of the expense, only Warren made the trip, touching down at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on a Saturday morning in early March 2004. Back at Warrens that afternoon, the boys were transfixed by local coverage of the Transy Book Heist.. Afraid to Look - Spencer Reinhard Home / Prints / Afraid to Look Afraid to Look $ 789 Full sized print of acrylic on canvas painting. Spencer gives me 500 bucks, in my pocket. After several phone calls Warren managed to arrange a meeting in New York. They were 20 steps ahead [of the librarian]. But after stewing in the magnitude of the potential dollar amount involved, and once convinced of the ease of the heist, the logic of the appraisal, and the legitimacy of Warrens Amsterdam connections, they say, he threw his lot in with the others. In a duffel bag by his bed an F.B.I. When summer break began, the three returned home to the subdivisions of South Lexington. During our interview Eric told me, He was like just a weight on us. The others spent time in the library, too, taking notes on staff routines and viable escape routes. They jump in the van and peel out around the loop.. 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. 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. And so I see Warren go back.. . 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. He took a cab to Dam Square, an old hippie hangout in the center of the city he had read about on the Internet. The thieves left no fingerprints behind, and there were almost no witnesses. As far as they could see, there were only two ways out: either getting away with the crime or getting arrested for it. I think we all knew that we wanted something different, and we had to break away from where we were living. It was just funny because weve been in a lot of places that theyve been, Eric says. 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. Frightened and alone in an unfriendly neighborhood and weighed down with priceless books, Warren and Eric barreled down the street, frantically trying to hail a police cruiser to rescue them. Spencer assembled a small wardrobe of fake beards, gray wigs, and costume glue. It didnt take long to tie in Eric and Chas. He was just so unbearable. A female detective went undercover as a Transy student, tailing Spencer while a team staked out the yellow bungalow. Spencer was arrested in a simultaneous raid on his dorm room at Transy. 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. This story was recently documented in the feature film American Animals. 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. I get the call on the cell phone. He covered his tracks by using public phones and campus computers. New film American Animals tells the story of one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history when three well off friends Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Chas Allen decided to try . Sign up for The Gleaners morning and evening newsletters. from an unsuspecting friend and got his hands on zip ties, a wool cap, electrician's tape, and bedsheets. Meanwhile, Eric lined up the G.T.A.V. What I found incredibly valuable about prison was the multiculturalism. Warren, under an alias, would make an appointment with Gooch for that afternoon to view the books they wanted to steal. [This librarian] doesn't know what we're carrying, but she's like, Where did these kids come from? Eric says. because she wanted a new Range Rover, like, what? That afternoon they worked their way back uptown, to scope out Christie's steel-and-glass headquarters before their Tuesday appointment. The other two would wait around the block in the S.U.V. computers in the Lexington field office. He said, You do that and you are free then to give them to us when you can. O.K., great. My world view actually expanded. Warren made an appraisal appointment at Christies in New York for Walter Beckman, a pseudonym inspired by the soccer star David Beckham. The plan for the actual robbery sets out three distinct phases. Both boys were spitting images of Mr. Stephens and Mr. Williams. Like if we ever get caught, were talking about international issues, way past interstate commerce or whatever the hell it is.. 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