When not at practice, Warren spent his time smoking pot, watching Comedy Central, and reading German philosophy. They were 20 steps ahead [of the librarian]. Spencer, feeling increasingly disaffected with school life himself, readily accepted the offer. And one thing led to another and we were just like, Lets put this behind us. And once we get past all of that, we started talking about this plan that he and Spencer have. I had so few distractions to take me away from my work, and only by bettering myself could escape the belief that I was losing my best years. So I walk off happy, come back to the States, and blow Spencers mind.. Darren Matthews. In the fall of 2003, Warren left for the University of Kentucky on a full athletic scholarship, eager to take his game to the next level, and with vague plans of getting into politics. Like, they were doing something serious, talking about the heist, going over the plan, and somebody would make a joke. Spencer drives me out to Lexington [Blue Grass Airport] on a Friday. They think we have [the books]. Handwriting can be an important piece of evidence in a criminal investigation. Before, in college, growing up, we were being funneled into this mundane, nickel-and-dime existence. As they ran, they stumbled again into Chas, who had returned in another car as promised, just in time to save them and drive Eric to U.K. for his tennis-class exam. Spencers life story and his practice are indelibly linked, thus the works he has created are a highly personal meditation on the journey Spencer Reinhard experienced. They got security around that? Nonchalantly, very nonchalantly, I mean, just kind of shooting it between us. As she inspected the items, Halloran dutifully took notes, then asked a few questions regarding their provenance, which Spencer answered as best he could under the circumstances. I was nervous. Faced with overwhelming evidence, they all eventually confessed. By one oclock that afternoon, the 227-year-old liberal-arts college was swarming with campus police, uniformed Lexington Police, plainclothes detectives, and forensic teams, as well as local news crews covering the developing Transy Book Heist, a crime that would one day be listed among the F.B.I.s all-time most significant art-theft cases. I never intended to paint them and I resisted the idea but in the end I couldn't help but indulge the irony. This is my first time on the island, any island for that matter, he said. So we would see parts like that and we would be Oh, this is just like us. Little did the three know that F.B.I. Not what I expected, not what I wanted it to be, Warren says. Like many aspiring art students Spencer believed that the academic community he was joining would inspire and enlighten him, exposing him to new experiences and methods. When Eric let him in on the plan, Chas mocked the three as deluded potheads, he recalls. We told B.J. Number one on that list was failure to create a business plan. . One evening it occurred to Spencer that they had used the Walter Beckman Yahoo account to contact both Christies and Gooch. After four years in New Jersey I was released back to Lexington where I lived with my parents and continued to paint. Amid safety concerns, and anxiety over the fate of a $200 million movie. By far the most common theory was that the heist had been just a frat prank that spun way out of control. Reinhard mentioned a collection of lightly guarded rare books and art at the university library, and the two, while watching Hollywood heist movies, started kicking around the idea of stealing from the $20 million collection. My son was born in January, so its been a busy time and I plan to take full advantage of the freedom I will have in Jamaica, Reinhard stated. Having concluded that the next logical stage of his development was to study art in college he enrolled at Transylvania University in Kentucky. [Beckman] said, B.J., a nickname her friends and colleagues used for her, she told officers. We weren't, like, hardened criminals, so we kind of had to really put up a front. Warren deepens his voice: How ya doing? That kind of stuff. After an awkward back-and-forth, Warren finally handed the man the $500. Because of the expense, only Warren made the trip, touching down at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport on a Saturday morning in early March 2004. Eric would stay on the main floor while Warren subdued Gooch in the Rare Book Room. Among the prisoners are three of the four unlikely masterminds behind the Transy Book Heist: Warren Lipka, Spencer Reinhard, and Eric Borsuk. We felt bad., Warren and Eric rode the elevator to the basement, but they couldnt find the fire exit. I took my zip ties and I put them around her feet and put them around her arms. It was about at that point that Gooch remembers Warren saying, Quit struggling, B.J., or do you want to feel more pain?. Between studying for his first semesters finals, working out, and painting, Spencer made time to scope out the Special Collections section of the Transy library, reporting back to Warren weeks later that there was zero security other than an old lady librarian named B.J. Spencer Reinhard and Warren Lipka had grown up together in adjacent subdivisions on Lexingtons south sidefully planned residential tracts wedged in between the city and the gradually receding horse country that rings it. American Animals is a 2018 heist film written and directed by Bart Layton.Starring Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, and Ann Dowd, it follows four college friends who plan a heist of their library.It tells the story of an actual heist which took place at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky in 2004.. American Animals premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film . In early 2006, they began serving their sentences in federal prison, with no possibility for parole. As far as they could see, there were only two ways out: either getting away with the crime or getting arrested for it. To be such a big part of her life has been a joy. And then they came up with the issue of getting these appraised. Chas not only lived in the yellow bungalow but also was a part owner of it with his father, a prominent Lexington real-estate investor. Oh, yeah, he almost got shot, says Eric, laughing. The painting, in digital form, would become a popular screen saver on the F.B.I. As a child he drew and painted and his abilities led him to consider a career as an artist whilst at High School. If we got away with it, we'd be in Europe living this crazy life thinking we were Ocean's 11 types. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Eric dropped the books, and he and Warren made a run for it. The other two would wait around the block in the S.U.V. A few minutes later, a short, dark-haired young man, also dressed in a winter coat, cap, and gloves, entered the library. Having told their parents that they were going on a ski trip to West Virginia, that weekend they loaded the loot into Erics Ford Explorer and took off on the 12-hour drive to New York for their Christies appointment. Warren and Eric got out of the G.T.A.V. As they scooted down the stairs their arms gave out and they stopped to catch their breath. Faced with overwhelming evidence, they all eventually confessed. Spencer, meanwhile, was short, wiry, distant, and in many ways Warren's opposite: an over-scheduled, over-achieving, diamond-tipped drill of a kid who excelled at whatever he set himself to. They got security around that? Warren asked Spencer. In terms of the dollar amount involved and the extraordinary circumstances, the theft was one of the most significant in its history. The next morning, all nerves, he left for the meeting site, a caf within walking distance. Waiting for the law to snatch them was nerve-racking, but they went on with their lives as if nothing had been amiss. Warren jumped at the opportunity and recruited another adrift freshman, his old high-school soccer teammate Eric Borsuk, as a partner. Warren and Chas go up to the Rare Book Room, on the third floor, and Warren brings Gooch down hard and fast with a stun gun, making her a non-factor throughout the operation. Warren and Chas then let Eric in and they begin wrapping the Audubons in bedsheets and put any smaller books in backpacks. He loved that it had been made the screen saver on the F.B.I.s computers. Writing from walter.beckman@yahoo.com, Warren sent B. J. Gooch an e-mail confirming Beckmans December 16 appointment at the Rare Book Room to view the Audubons and a few other items. A painting by Reinhard, a gifted artist, may offer some clues. Only cannabis-smoking goalkeeper Warren Lipka . Suddenly without Erics mock-ups, software, and equipment, Warren thought of Spencer. In the weeks following the book heist, law enforcement followed leads at Transy and reviewed countless hours of security footage from the U.K. computer lab, to which a police technician had traced the e-mail from Walter Beckman to Gooch. American Animals brings to the silver screen the story of the Transy Book Heist of 2004, where four students tried to steal $12 million worth of arts and books from the Special Collections Library . After several phone calls Warren managed to arrange a meeting in New York. It'll show up on your profile and if approved, on this page. Warren was already busily working out the problem, returning for advice to his underworld contact: What if we had some artwork that we wanted to sell? Warren remembers asking him. The plan is to continue using birds as my subjects but bringing back some of my earlier prison styles to take my work to the next level. After a quick powwow in the stacks, the conspirators decided to abort the mission for the time being and retreated to the bungalow. In the morning, Warren says, he left two messages with Leckey's secretary and two more that afternoon. I was in interaction with people from nearly every country in the Americas, he reflected on the time spent between prisons in Kentucky and Texas. Spencer had underestimated his friends resolve. ). And I pledged a fraternity, but I really didn't get into that too much. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. agents were sitting behind them the whole time, listening to their every word. Spencer was born in 1984 in Lexington Kentucky. During our interview Eric told me, He was like just a weight on us. When Warren arrived, he saw a man fitting that description seated with three other men. Barry described himself as an older man with a long ponytail and said he'd be wearing a green scarf. After becoming disillusioned with the college experience, I rebelled from the sterile, privileged life I was leading by committing six felonies which famously landed me in prison for 87 months. and Lexington police put the pair under surveillance. Warren went up to the third floor to meet Gooch, while Eric waited downstairs for him to call. As they ran, they stumbled again into Chas, who had returned in another car as promised, just in time to save them and drive Eric to U.K. for his tennis-class exam. At 11 the next morning, Chas slipped the G.T.A.V. More important, the basement was secluded. The meeting ended after 30 minutes, and Ms. Halloran escorted the two out, assuring them that she'd be in touch after conferring with her superiors on the best way forward. I was born in Lexington, Kentucky and was raised by my wonderful parents in what was a largely carefree and happy childhood. 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