Who watches the watchmen?
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February 7th, 2022 at 1:08:05 PM
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A couple of years ago, a guy came on a comic forum I frequent and said he was a new collector. He asked a lot of questions but was friendly enough. Over time, he started offering a few books that he claimed he's found at estate sales and the like. Evidently, he mentioned he worked security at a library, but I don't recall him saying that. Over the years he kept producing books he found and sold them at reasonable prices. He sold mostly 1940s books, which I no longer collect, so I had little inter-action with him.
About a year ago someone bought a book from him and casually mentioned it was even nicer than expected as it had the signature of a prominent collector on the front page. I never heard of this collector, and no one paid any attention to the comment for a few months when somebody pointed out that this collectors' books had been donated to the library where the seller said he worked. It made a small fuss, but the seller disappeared, and I'd forgotten about it until this morning when the national news is reporting the Head of the Florida State Library Security Department is under arrest for looting the libraries comic collection. This guy actually used his real name when trying to sell stuff stolen from his job and got away with it for several years. The missing books may add up to more than a half million dollars.
About a year ago someone bought a book from him and casually mentioned it was even nicer than expected as it had the signature of a prominent collector on the front page. I never heard of this collector, and no one paid any attention to the comment for a few months when somebody pointed out that this collectors' books had been donated to the library where the seller said he worked. It made a small fuss, but the seller disappeared, and I'd forgotten about it until this morning when the national news is reporting the Head of the Florida State Library Security Department is under arrest for looting the libraries comic collection. This guy actually used his real name when trying to sell stuff stolen from his job and got away with it for several years. The missing books may add up to more than a half million dollars.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
February 7th, 2022 at 2:19:25 PM
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Bravo to the authorities who caught him.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
February 7th, 2022 at 4:18:59 PM
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Those who caught him....are the real superheroes!
February 8th, 2022 at 7:17:43 AM
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In a bizarre twist, the perp was named Library Employee of the Year in 2019 and was slated to be honored with another award this spring for his leadership and ability to think outside the box. I was looking at a list of the 5,000 books they recovered and there is a whole lot of near-worthless stuff there.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
February 8th, 2022 at 7:56:55 AM
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An 80-year-old nun, who retired from her school principal position in 2018 was arrested and charged with stealing $800,000 in school funds to fund her high rolling casino trips. I'm guessing she forgot her vow of poverty, but after being sentenced to a year in federal prison she will have plenty of time to make peace with her maker.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
