Maryland Community Newspapers Online
A Prince George's County grand jury indicted 12 people for their alleged roles in an $87,220 library theft ring in which 822 books were checked out and resold online or in used book stores.
Library branches in Hartford County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City were also hit between November 2008 and August 2009.
Robert T. Nash of Bowie is the only county resident among the 12 in the ring, which also includes Edgewood, Baltimore and Cockeysville residents. Members of the group are related, live together or are connected to each other in some fashion, assistant state's attorney Doyle Niemann said.
The investigation began in February, when a librarian reported a theft of more than $9,000 from the Hyattsville branch to Hyattsville City Police, said Hyattsville detective Tony Guerreiro.
The books were overdue by months and all checked out by one person, Guerreiro said. A person can check out up to 75 books at any one time from a county library.
Investigators found 12 of the county's 18 library branches were hit. The suspects allegedly checked out expensive reference books and text books under their real names and then resold them online or in used bookstores.
The 12 were indicted for theft of more than $500, which carries up to 15 years in prison, Niemann said.
Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey (D) said his office is cracking down on the theft since the county cannot afford to replace stolen property such as books at a time when it is also facing hiring freezes and furloughs.
"A lot of people rely on the library for the things they need," he said. "It's an important public resource."
He added that he has heard reports from the American Library Association that similar library theft rings occur around the country. He said he did not know if it is a crime on the rise because of the economic recession.
None of the books has been recovered, Ivey said.
The 12 will be arraigned within seven days and a trial could take place within the next 180, said Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman for Ivey's office.