New York Historian Admits Theft of Presidential Letters
Larry Neumeister - Associated Press
May 21, 2008
NEW YORK - A historian and author admitted in court Tuesday that he stole letters written by George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and tried to resell them for nearly $100,000 (euro63,943).
Edward Renehan Jr., 51, pleaded guilty Tuesday to interstate transportation of stolen property for trying to resell the letters through a Manhattan gallery for $97,000 (euro62,024). Prosecutors said he stole them from the Theodore Roosevelt Association in Oyster Bay on Long Island between January 2006 and October 2007.
Renehan, who has written six books, was the acting director of the association when he stole one letter handwritten by President Abraham Lincoln on March 1, 1840 and two letters by President George Washington, one written on Aug. 9, 1791 and another on Dec. 29, 1778.
Renehan's lawyer, Peter Brill, said his client was diagnosed in 2006 with bipolar disorder.
Brill said the condition combined with family issues and other stresses in his life at the time clouded his judgment.
He said Renehan's manic depression "certainly didn't leave him with a clear head."
With a thriving publishing career, Renehan did not need the money, Brill said.
"It's similar to getting drunk and doing something you wouldn't do if you were thinking straight," he said.
Brill said Renehan cooperated with authorities from the beginning, even trying to negotiate for the return of the letters from the innocent buyers who purchased them.
He said his client, who is currently promoting his latest book, was likely to ask that he receive no jail time.
Renehan, who apologized during his plea, was most worried that he had injured the legacy of a friend who led the Theodore Roosevelt Association until he died and Renehan was asked to lead the association temporarily, Brill said.
A state charge accusing Renehan of stealing and trying to auction off a 1918 letter that President Theodore Roosevelt wrote about his son Quentin's death in World War I was still pending, Brill said.
The Theodore Roosevelt Association aims to preserve the former president's memory and protect artifacts, papers and places associated with him, according to its Web site.
Prosecutors in the case say federal sentencing guidelines would call for a sentence of about two years in prison.
Renehan could also be fined up to $250,000 (euro159,857). Sentencing was set for Aug. 21.
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