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L.A. Pawn Shop Owner Indicted for Allegedly Conspiring to Sell Stolen Andy Warhol Trial Proof and Lying to the FBI About Its Sale

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 01 May 2025 06:24:40 +0000

The owner of a pawn shop in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles has been indicted for allegedly conspiring to sell a stolen Andy Warhol print trial proof.

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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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Court-appointed lawyers are victims of stolen check schemes, prosecutors say; 6 people charged

homesafetytechpros — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 21:58:56 +0000

Criminal Justice

Court-appointed lawyers are victims of stolen check schemes, prosecutors say; 6 people charged

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 8, 2024, 12:28 pm CST

Six people have been charged with depositing stolen checks intended to pay court-appointed lawyers representing indigent defendants in federal cases in New York. (Image from Shutterstock)

Six people have been charged with depositing stolen checks intended to pay court-appointed lawyers representing indigent defendants in federal cases in New York.

The charges are part of an ongoing investigation into “the widespread theft and depositing of checks” issued to people involved in the criminal justice system, according to a Feb. 7 press release by U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York.

The six defendants are charged in two separate indictments unsealed in Brooklyn, New York City, on Wednesday.

Reuters and Law360 have coverage.

In one case, three defendants were charged with bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy in connection with the deposit of a $125,386 check issued to a lawyer with offices in Brooklyn, New York City. One of the defendants, Ada Tavarez, is also charged with one count of aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors allege that Tavarez deposited the check into a fraudulent bank account that she created in the attorney’s name using a fake driver’s license and Social Security card, according to the press release and indictment. The signature on the check was forged, according to prosecutors.

A second defendant, Markel Washington, allegedly accessed the account online and called the bank seeking a release of funds when the check was placed on hold. His iCloud account also had photos of Tavarez that were used on the fraudulent driver’s license, the indictment said.

A third defendant, Tyquan Robinson, is accused of accessing an email account in the attorney’s name that was used to open the bank account. The recovery phone number for the account was Robinson’s, prosecutors alleged. His iCloud account also had a note containing personal data for the attorney, prosecutors said.

Tavarez, 58, lives in the Bronx, New York City; Robinson, 29, lives in East Orange, New Jersey; and Washington, 28, lives in the Bronx, New York City.

In a second case, three defendants are accused of participating in a scheme to cash checks issued to third parties. One stolen check was issued to a lawyer for indigent defendants in the amount of $14,856. The check was deposited into an account opened by one of the defendants with a fake endorsement signing it over to him.

The defendants are accused of withdrawing some of the money from ATMs, using it for purchases at stores and restaurants, and using it to buy airline tickets.

One of the defendants was not identified because he wasn’t yet arrested. The others are Nicholas Barton, 27, of Brooklyn, New York City; and Richard Reid, 26, of New York City. They are charged with wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit those crimes.

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