[MSN] Insider theft. A state archivist looted a treasure-trove of historic artifacts from the New York State Library - including documents about Davy Crockett - and hawked them to pay off his daughter's credit card debt, authorities said.

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Archivist steals historic artifacts from the New York State Library:
authorities

BY JOE GOULD, JOE MAHONEY and DAVE GOLDINER
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Tuesday, January 29th 2008, 4:00 AM
State archivist Daniel Lorello is accused of stealing historic files, such
as Davy Crockett almanac, to peddle on eBay. B. Smith for News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/01/29/2008-01-29_archivist_ste
als_historic_artifacts_from-1.html 


A state archivist looted a treasure-trove of historic artifacts from the New
York State Library - including documents about Davy Crockett - and hawked
them to pay off his daughter's credit card debt, authorities said.

Daniel Lorello is accused of stealing a $3,000 Davy Crockett almanac, an
1823 letter from statesman John C. Calhoun and other artifacts to auction
them off on eBay.

"This crime is especially repugnant, because it's dealing with historic
documents," state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday. "It's literally
stealing the legacy of the State of New York page by page."

The light-fingered librarian began his crime spree to pay for household
bills and a $10,000 credit card bill run up by his daughter, Maria,
authorities said.

He swiped a few items over the years, but his theft escalated last year when
he realized the state might install security cameras in the Albany archive
office where he worked, authorities said.

"I took things on an as-needed basis to pay family bills, such as house
renovations, car bills, tuition and my daughter's credit card problem,"
Lorello wrote in a statement released by Cuomo.

Lorello, 59, noted he took "more than 300 or 400 items in 2007 alone."

"I particularly liked items associated with the Revolutionary War, Civil
War, Mexican War, Black Americana, [World War I], anything related to the
Roosevelts, Jewish items," he wrote, according to authorities.

Lorello, who began working at the state archives in 1979, was placed on
administrative leave from his $71,000-a-year job. He was freed on bail after
pleading not guilty to charges of felony grand larceny and fraud. About 90%
of the stolen items have been recovered, many from unsuspecting buyers.
Lorello used the online moniker "ldd1863" to sell the items, authorities
said.

In an eBay entry about the Calhoun letter, he allegedly boasted: "All in all
I think this is a super letter with excellent content. A great addition to
any 19th century political autograph collection."

Authorities said it's unclear how much Lorello made. But officials said just
two sales of Davy Crockett Almanacs - popular 19th century pamphlets about
the frontier hero's exploits - fetched more than $5,000.

Lorello was tripped up by Joseph Romito, a retired history professor who
became suspicious when he spotted the posting for the Calhoun letter.
Romito, 59, said he wanted to bid on it, but quickly discovered that it
belonged to the state.

"I thought, 'Why would the state library relinquish it?'" Romito recalled
yesterday.

Investigators tipped off by Romito won the auction with a bid of $1,800.
Lorello realized officials were closing in on him when his boss asked him if
he knew the identity of "ldd1863." He drove to Massachusetts and sent the
confession and a lithograph back to the archive office, along with a
purported apology. "I asked that all be forgiven," Lorello said.

jmahoney at nydailynews.com


http://www.nydailynews.com/