3 people charged with plot to sell the stolen lyrics “Hotel California”

On Tuesday, the district attorney for Manhattan filed charges against 3 persons in a scheme to resell stolen lyrics from the album “Hotel California.”

According to allegations, Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi, and Edward Kosinski planned to sell the documents knowing they would fetch $1 million.

The men made up a bogus history of their acquisition of the Don Henley notes, which contained the lyrics to the songs “Hotel California” and “Life in the fast Lane,” and lied about it to the auction house and prospective bidders.

The manuscripts were allegedly stolen and sold to Horowitz before being given to Inciardi and Kosinski, according to the legal documentation.

“New York is a world-class magnet for art and culture, and those who sell cultural objects must strictly respect the law,” said Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg.

“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 museum confirmed to AFP that, Inciardi, 58 is an “employee with curator responsibilities” in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame in Cleveland.

The Rock Hall said in a statement that “When we became aware of this matter, we suspended the employee and retained experienced outside counsel to conduct an internal investigation,”

They wrote in a statement that, “The DA’s office alleges criminality where none exists and unfairly tarnishes the reputations of well-respected professionals.”

The men pleaded not guilty and released on their own recognizance.