The What If? Podcast

Ep. #240 - What If You Stole a Bunch of Books?

01.25.2023 - By Spencer Wirth-Davis & Ryan KopperudPlay

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Last year, Filippo Bernardini was arrested at New York's JFK airport and charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for stealing over 1,000 unpublished and draft manuscripts from authors and publishers around the world. Strangely, it doesn't appear that Bernardini ever tried to profit from the thefts–the works were never leaked or sold, and no clear motive has been identified. Lucky for you, your two favorite dum dums are on the case! 

References: 

The Bizarre, Unsolved Mystery of Filippo Bernardini and the Stolen Book Manuscripts

Literary mystery may finally be solved as man arrested for allegedly stealing unpublished books | Publishing | The Guardian

Italian Citizen Pleads Guilty To Multi-Year Manuscript Theft And Impersonation Scheme | USAO-SDNY | Department of Justice

The Talented Mr. Bernardini

Italian Citizen Arrested In Online Impersonation Scheme...

The End of a Book World Mystery: A Suspect in Manuscript Thefts to Plead Guilty

Ryan's new record, Before What Came After, is out now. Go give it a listen! 

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