Former chief of the criminal fraud section of the Department of Justice Andrew Weissman points out that news of Paul Manafort’s forthcoming book from Skyhorse raises some interesting questions. His plea agreement with the government — in which he admitted to money laundering, tax fraud, violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice while tampering with witnesses and other crimes — was designed to ensure that he would not profit from writing about his crimes: “Your client agrees not to accept remuneration or compensation of any sort, directly or indirectly, for the dissemination through any means, including […]
Legal
Bernardini Released on Bail
Accused manuscript thief Filippo Bernardini is at large in New York after pleading not guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Magistrate Judge Robert Lehrburger set bail for $300,000 — which was secured by the London home of Bernardini’s partner, who was at the hearing. Represented by Hannah McCrea at the nonprofit Federal Defenders of New York, Bernardini surrendered his passport and will stay with a friend in the West Village. McCrea said, “This is a very humbling experience. He intends to take it seriously.” Assistant US Attorney Daniel Nessim said Bernardini was an “overwhelming” flight risk, […]
Company Security Group Helped Catch Manuscript Thief, Simon & Schuster CEO Writes
Simon & Schuster president and ceo Jonathan Karp wrote an email to staff on Thursday explaining the “true nature of our relationship” to the “shocking news” of the FBI’s arrest of S&S UK employee Filippo Bernardini. Bernardini was charged on Wednesday with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a years-long manuscript phishing scam. According to Karp, the company’s ViacomCBS Information Security Group “investigated and reported their findings to the FBI.” He notes, “It is our understanding that the information provided by the VCBS team to the FBI proved crucial in facilitating the FBI’s investigation and arrest.” “Like others […]
FBI Arrests Elusive Manuscript Thief
The FBI arrested Filippo Bernardini, 29, on Wednesday afternoon when he landed at JFK Airport in New York, and unsealed an indictment, in a long overdue deal, charging him with with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Bernardini is accused of conducting “a multi-year scheme to impersonate individuals involved in the publishing industry in order to fraudulently obtain hundreds of prepublication manuscripts of novels and other forthcoming books.” Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York FBI office Michael Driscoll said in a news release: “We allege Mr. Bernardini used his insider knowledge of the industry to get authors to send him […]
New York Governor Vetoes Library eBook Bill
New York Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill from the State Assembly that would have imposed restrictions on the terms under which publishers license ebooks to libraries. The legislation was similar to the Maryland law that the AAP is currently challenging in Federal court, imposing a vague requirement of “reasonable terms”. Hochul wrote in her veto, “While the goal of this bill is laudable, unfortunately, copyright protection provides the author of a work with the exclusive right to their works. As such, federal law would allow the author, and only the author, to determine to whom they wish to share […]
Judge Sets February Hearing on AAP’s Motion of Preliminary Injunction Stopping Maryland Law
Following a status conference on Tuesday, Judge Deborah L. Boardman set a February 7 hearing on the AAP’s pending motion for a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of Maryland’s new law on library licensing of electronic text. The state of Maryland’s response to the motion is due January 14, with the AAP’s reply due two weeks later.