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A Pair of Provosts Portrait - Stephen Greyser
The Final Club Scene Jazz Reunion
A Shift in Admissions The Bubble Bursts
Book Theft for the Record Book Brevia
The Undergraduate - School Days Sports - Winter Warriors


Book Theft for the Record Book

José Torres-Carbonnel, accused of stealing books--and plates from books-- worth $750,000 from Harvard's libraries ("Biblioklepts," March-April), pleaded not guilty to all 16 counts against him at his arraignment on February 18. On April 3 a Middlesex County grand jury indicted him on 15 additional counts.

Detective sergeant Richard W. Mederos, who heads the University police department's criminal investigation division, recovered 334 plates cut from books, most relating to Egypt, that Torres allegedly sold to art dealers in California, Boston, and Brookline, Massachusetts, giving rise to the second barrage of charges. Mederos was led to the California dealer when a search of Torres's residence turned up shipping documents, and to the other dealers through Torres's bank records. Although the plates are valued at approximately $257,500, Torres may have realized only about 10 percent of that. At his February arraignment, his bail was raised to $5,000 cash and $50,000 surety. He did not post bail and is in jail.

Torres now faces 31 felony counts involving more than a million dollars' worth of property. If proved guilty, he will own the record for stealing more treasure from Harvard libraries than any other known thief.


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