Yale Book Thief Gets Jail Sentence

Hartford Courant ^ | June 15 2002 | CHRISTOPHER KEATING

[2Trievers]

Benjamin W. Johnson thought it was an easy way to make money - and it was, for a while.

But now Johnson is going to prison for 15 months for stealing more than $1.5 million worth of books and one-of-a-kind manuscripts from Yale University's rare book library.

He tried to sell some of the items through the eBay Internet auction site before a Philadelphia autograph dealer tipped off authorities that a young student was selling mint-condition signatures that even private collectors rarely find.

[2Trievers]

I think I posted the orignal story some time ago ... this is the followup for those who might recall. There are few things in this world I have reverence for ... one is our Flag, the other books. His sentence is a joke. An outrage.

[Dante3]

I love books and support historical preservations. The creep sure got off easy.

[Rebelbase]

"Johnson's attorney, Penn Rhodeen of New Haven, told the judge that the thefts occurred after Johnson had stopped taking his Prozac medication, and that had caused him to lose judgment and perspective."

Cry me a river.

[rageaholic]

What a b@stard-- too lazy to forge autographs like all the other eBay crooks! Kids today...

[Tourist Guy]

>>>Johnson said that he was "very afraid" of going to prison but understood that he would be compelled to spend time behind bars<<<

No prozac in the joint, no soap-on-a-rope either.

The prison sentence is almost as offensive as the crime.

[staytrue]

Fasano said he considered numerous factors in deciding on a prison term for a once-promising student with no prior criminal record. He noted that Johnson comes from "a solidly middle-class, supportive family" - unlike many criminal defendants with family problems and troubled pasts.

It is stuff like this that infuriates inner city blacks. They hold up a 7-11 and get 50 dollars in cash and go to jail for 7-10 years and this guy steals 1.5 million and does irreparable damage and gets off with next to nothing.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I think that those who threaten peoples' lives for small cash deserve more prison time than those who essentially embezzle larger values without putting others in peril.

[parsifal]

You beat me to it. If his name had been "Tyrone", he'd be under the jail now. parsy.

[razorback-bert]

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