Three men have been charged with conspiracy to sell Don Henley’s stolen lyric sheets for the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ LP.
The manuscripts were lost in the 70s and came to be in the possession of three males, who were indicted on Tuesday (12.07.22) by a Manhattan district court attorney, in the 2000s.
They had tried to sell the sought-after manuscripts at auction and even to Henley himself, who pleaded for their return.
The individuals are named as Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski.
District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said in a statement: “These defendants attempted to keep and sell these unique and valuable manuscripts, despite knowing they had no right to do so. They made up stories about the origin of the documents and their right to possess them so they could turn a profit.”
The manuscripts were valued at $1 million and include the lyrics to the iconic 1976 title track, plus ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ and ‘New Kid In Town’.
The trio’s attorneys responded: “The DA’s office alleges criminality where none exists and unfairly tarnishes the reputations of well-respected professionals. We will fight these unjustified charges vigorously. These men are innocent.”
Inciardi is curator and director of acquisitions at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Henley’s manager Irving Azoff commented in a statement, “We are thankful to New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his staff for pursuing this case and have faith that justice will be served. This action exposes the truth about music memorabilia sales of highly personal, stolen items hidden behind a façade of legitimacy. No one has the right to sell illegally obtained property or profit from the outright theft of irreplaceable pieces of musical history. These handwritten lyrics are an integral part of the legacy Don Henley has created over the course of his 50-plus-year career. We look forward to the return of Don’s property, for him and his family to enjoy and preserve for posterity.”
The case has been bubbling away for a number of years, with search warrants granted back in December 2016 to retrieve the manuscripts from Sotheby’s and Kosinski’s New Jersey residence.
The defendants even tried to claim that the band’s late founding member Glenn Frey, who died in January 2016, had given them the lyrics.
The trio have been charged with one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree.
Inciardi and Kosinski have been booked for Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree, while Horowitz faces three further charges for Attempted Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and two counts of Hindering Prosecution in the Second Degree.