Associated Press
A New York state archivist was charged Monday with stealing hundreds of artifacts—documents representing "the heritage of all Americans," according to the history buff who found some of them on eBay—to pay his household bills.
Daniel Lorello, 54, is accused of taking rare items from the New York State Library, including Davy Crockett Almanacs, Currier and Ives lithographs, and the 1865 railroad timetable for Abraham Lincoln's funeral train. Authorities believe he hawked them for tens of thousands of dollars, using much of that to pay off his daughter's credit card debt.
"This crime is especially repugnant, because it's dealing with historic documents," state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said. "It's literally stealing the legacy of the state of New York page by page."
Lorello, an archives and records management specialist in the New York Department of Education, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and scheming to defraud and was released on his recognizance. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Hundreds of Items
In a handwritten statement released by Cuomo's office, Lorello said he took "more than 300 or 400 items in 2007 alone."
He said he "particularly liked" artifacts associated with the Revolutionary, Civil, and Mexican Wars; World War I; black Americana; and "anything related to the Roosevelts and Jewish items."
(Related: "Who Knew? U.S. Presidential Trivia" [August 27, 2004].)
Officials found hundreds of documents and artifacts in Lorello's home over the weekend. Authorities believe the theft goes back to 2002, although it accelerated in 2007.
"I took things on an as-needed basis to pay family bills, such as house renovations, car bills, tuition, and my daughter's credit card problem," Lorello wrote.
He said he took many items last year because his daughter "unexpectedly ran up a $10,000 credit card bill."
Lorello also said his theft increased after he learned that surveillance cameras were to be installed in the library.
