KEY POINTS
- Filippo Bernardini impersonated a whole bunch of actual folks to steal greater than 1,000 unpublished manuscripts.
- The rip-off had been identified in literary circles for numerous years.
- Bernardini was arrested at New York’s JFK Airport final 12 months and initially pleaded not responsible.
An Italian man has admitted to stealing greater than 1,000 unpublished manuscripts, together with from distinguished authors, fixing a thriller that had rocked the literary world for years.
Filippo Bernardini, 30, pleaded responsible to 1 depend of wire fraud, federal prosecutors in New York introduced in an announcement.
Bernardini, who labored in London for writer Simon & Schuster, impersonated brokers and publishers over e mail to acquire novels and different works from writers and their representatives.
The rip-off had been identified in literary circles for a number of years with Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and Sally Rooney among the many novelists reportedly focused.
It grew to become public data in January final 12 months when Bernardini was arrested by FBI brokers at New York’s JFK Airport.
Filippo Bernardini was arrested by FBI brokers at New York’s JFK Airport final 12 months. Supply: Getty / VIEW press/Corbis
Starting in August 2016, and persevering with as much as his arrest, the Italian impersonated a whole bunch of actual folks on the earth of publishing by sending emails from faux accounts.
The addresses resembled the domains of respectable publishers however with a letter modified right here and there. Prosecutors say he registered greater than 160 fraudulent domains.
“Filippo Bernardini used his insider data of the publishing business to create a scheme that stole treasured works from authors and menaced the publishing business,” mentioned Damian Williams, the US Lawyer for the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
In 2019, Atwood’s agent revealed that the manuscript for The Testaments had been focused.
In 2021, New York Journal reported that the Swedish editors of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium collection had been approached by a purported colleague in Italy who requested an advance copy in order that it may very well be translated earlier than launch.
A New York Occasions investigation on the finish of 2020 discovered that Regular Folks writer Rooney, Atonement writer McEwan, and actor Ethan Hawke had additionally been focused.
Bernardini’s motive has by no means been clear.
Alleged victims have been baffled by the actual fact the thefts have been by no means adopted by calls for for cash, nor did the works ever appear to seem on-line or on the darkish internet.
Screenshots from Bernardini’s LinkedIn profile shortly after his arrest described him as a “rights coordinator” at Simon & Schuster.
The profile additionally mentioned he obtained a bachelors in Chinese language Language in Milan and a masters in publishing from UCL in London owing to his “obsession for the written phrase and languages.”
Simon & Schuster, which was not accused of wrongdoing, mentioned on the time it had been “shocked and horrified to study of the allegations.”
“Safety of authors’ mental property is of the very best precedence for Simon & Schuster,” the writer mentioned in an announcement Friday.
“We’re grateful to the FBI and Division of Justice for its protection and assist of the mental property rights of authors all through the world,” it added.
Bernardini initially pleaded not responsible. As a part of his responsible plea, he agreed to pay restitution of US$88,000 ($128,000), the SDNY mentioned.
His crime carries a most sentence of 20 years in jail. Bernardini will likely be sentenced in Manhattan federal courtroom on 5 April.