Charges dropped in stolen ‘Hotel California’ lyrics case

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 05:08:46 +0000

Musician Don Henley, left, arrives in court in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Three collectibles-world professionals were on trial in the criminal case involving roughly 100 legal pad sheets from the development of the Eagles’ 1976 “Hotel California” album. The charges against the men were dropped on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Charges were dismissed for three collectibles experts being tried for possessing stolen “Hotel California” lyrics after questions surfaced over whether they had truly been stolen and a judge criticized the Eagles rocker Don Henley and his manager for manipulating prosecutors.

Prosecutors dropped charges against rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski amid the trial in New York. They had been accused of possessing nearly 100 pages of handwritten notes and lyrics for one of the bestselling albums of all time — “Hotel California” by The Eagles.

The Associated Press reported that prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had been blindsided within the last few days by 6,000 pages of communications involving Don Henley and his attorneys and associates.

“These delayed disclosures revealed relevant information that the defense should have had the opportunity to explore” when Henley and other prosecution witnesses testified late last month, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Aaron Ginandes told the court, the AP reported.

The wire service reported the former defendants’ reactions. Inciardi said, “The next step is building back our reputations.” Kosinski said he felt “very good” about the case’s end. Horowitz declined to comment.

Henley’s attorney, Dan Petrocelli, called the outcome unjust and vowed to “pursue all his rights in the civil courts,” Billboard reported.

Justice Curtis Farber took Henley and his manager, Irving Azoff, to task.

“A review of these newly disclosed materials has demonstrated and highlighted Mr. Henley and Mr. Azoff’s use of the privilege to shield themselves from a thorough and complete cross-examination,” Justice Farber said at the hearing, according to Billboard. “It is now clear that both witnesses and their lawyers … used the privilege to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging to their position that the lyric sheets were stolen.”

The judge said prosecutors had been “manipulated” into bringing the charges but also commended them for dropping the case when new evidence surfaced, the magazine reported.

Law&Crime reported in 2022 about the indictment alleging the manuscripts were stolen in the late 1970s by someone hired to write a biography of the band. In 2005, the manuscripts were sold to Horowitz, a rare books dealer, who then sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski, prosecutors said.

When Henley learned that Inciardi and Kosinski were trying to sell portions of the manuscripts, prosecutors said, he filed police reports, told the three men that the materials were stolen, and demanded that they be returned to him.

The “Hotel California” album is certified 26 times platinum, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Law&Crime’s Marisa Sarnoff contributed to this report.

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Woman sexually abused 2 hockey players at hotel: Police

homesafetytechpros — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 23:43:35 +0000

Allison Leigh Schardin sexually abused two teenage hockey players, say authorities. (Mug shot: Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

A Minnesota woman visiting a hotel with her husband and their children sexually abused two 15-year-old hockey players staying at the same establishment, according to authorities in Ramsey County.

Allison Leigh Schardin, 38, is charged with criminal sexual conduct in the third degree and criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree.

The complaint viewed by Law&Crime said that several youth hockey teams were visiting the hotel from out of state for a tournament in the area. On the night of Jan. 14, members of a team went to the hotel’s pool area after dinner. Schardin was in the sauna, authorities said.

Meeting the victims

From the complaint:

V1 said rather than go to the pool right away, he was in his room packing for their return trip home the next day when he received a photo of SCHARDIN from a teammate with a message telling him “you wouldn’t believe what happened” and telling him to come down to the pool area and hang with the team, so he did.

Schardin allegedly left the sauna for the hot tub, joining three victims. According to cops, she told them about problems with her marriage and that she had sex with a hockey player, aged 18 to 20, several weeks before.

From the complaint:

V2 said that at one point, SCHARDIN’s husband came to the pool area and yelled words to the effect of, “If you don’t come upstairs, our relationship is over.”

The boys left for curfew at around 10 p.m., but returned later with “one other” to sneak back down and meet Schardin at the pool, documents stated. At this time, the husband came back down and told her it was the last chance for their marriage.

From the complaint:

The boys, along with two other teammates, returned to V1’s room. Sometime later, SCHARDIN messaged V1 via SnapChat saying she and her husband got into an argument and asked, “can I come into your room?”

When three boys remained in the room, the encounter escalated to Schardin asking them sexual questions, documents said. She allegedly also asked their ages, which they answered.

“She told them that she was 38 and they were young enough to be her kids,” the complaint stated.

Documents described Schardin initiating sexual contact with Victims 1 and 2.

At least one of the victims expressed discomfort at what happened, police say

From the complaint:

V1 said SCHARDIN was saying things like, “let’s just do more,” “let’s have sex,” “we’re already here,” “You already have a 38‐year‐old woman, a female in your bed, don’t you want to do more?” V1 described feeling stuck in the moment and did not know how to say no. He said that in his head, his response was “not really” but he responded by saying “sure,” though he “wasn’t totally on board with it.” V1 ultimately told SCHARDIN that he had to go to bed because he had a game the next day and she left.

The boys had a game on Jan. 15. In between periods, Schardin allegedly texted them to confirm they were playing on a specific rink. Wanting her to stay away, they told her they had already lost. But she walked in soon after, documents said.

From the complaint:

V1 said they all started getting nervous and he was shaking on the bench at one point because he wanted to leave what happened the night before in the past and she was trying to follow them, “it was really creepy.”

After returning to Colorado, SCHARDIN texted V1 saying words to the effect of, “I will do or say anything you want, just don’t tell the police or report what happened.” V1 responded that he didn’t want anything from her, that he wouldn’t report it and that she needed to leave him alone. He then blocked her. V1 does not know who made the report to police.

In response, he blocked her after he said he did not want anything from her, would not report it, and that she had to leave him alone.

Cops also spoke to Victim 2 during their investigation.

From the complaint:

V2 provided police with a message SCHARDIN sent him on SnapChat January 16, 2024 at 1339 hours. In the message string, SCHARDIN asked V2 how V1 was doing, saying that she hoped he was not mad at her. During the conversation, SCHARDIN asked if V1 “regrets it” and V2 replied, “Yeah should I ask him to unblock you.” SCHARDIN responded “Please” and V2 said, “Yeah he does.”

Schardin allegedly apologized for going to their hotel room, and she acknowledged performing a sex act on Victim 1.

The defendant allegedly talked to cops after her arrest

Schardin was arrested Feb. 1 and agreed to speak with cops after waiving her rights, according to documents.

She allegedly said she and her husband went with their two children to the hotel in Roseville for a “stay-cation” the weekend of Jan. 13, 2024. Schardin acknowledged talking with 15 or 16-year-old hockey players who were staying at the hotel, documents said.

From the complaint:

SCHARDIN said the next night, January 14, 2024, she went back to the pool area to get away from her husband because they were not getting along. She went into the sauna where there were several boys. The boys asked for her “socials,” e.g., social media accounts, and they exchanged information. The boys also took a photo with her. SCHARDIN said she enjoyed the attention. SCHARDIN then left the sauna and went to the pool where she continued to engage with various boys and exchange social media information. She said that some of the younger boys invited her to their room, an invitation she accepted so she could get away from her husband.

She admitted to joining three boys in a hotel room and admitted to having sexual contact with two of them, documents said. She allegedly said that she had asked if anyone had a condom, though she insisted she was not going to go through with it.

“I think I just, things were starting to progress and, um, I think I thought about it for a moment and then I just was like, yeah, no, that’s not …, and I think at that point it was pretty evident that V1 was kind of uncomfortable,” the complaint said.

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Charges dropped in stolen ‘Hotel California’ lyrics case

Woman sexually abused 2 hockey players at hotel: Police

Meeting the victims