New York State Archivist says he stole documents to pay the bills

The Daily Gazette reports:

A state archivist and Civil War expert stole hundreds of historic documents and artifacts belonging to the New York State Library and sold some of them over the Internet, authorities said Monday.

Daniel D. Lorello, 54, of Van Leuven Drive, Rensselaer, was arraigned Monday in Albany City Court on felony charges of third-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and first-degree scheme to defraud. He was released without bail and ordered to reappear Feb. 11.

According to Lorello’s hand-written Jan. 24 statement submitted to the court by the state Attorney General’s Office, he stole the items in part to pay $10,000 in credit card bills run up by his daughter. He said he began stealing in about 2002.

“I took things on an as needed basis to pay family bills, such as house renovations, car bills, tuition and my daughter’s credit card problem,” the statement said. Lorello’s statement said he took 300 to 400 items just in 2007.

The thefts were discovered after the state Library was contacted by someone in Virginia who was suspicious about an item offered for sale on eBay — an 1823 letter from the South Carolina politician John Calhoun. That letter was the property of the state Library, as were other items allegedly offered for sale by Lorello on eBay, the online auction site, including a Currier & Ives lithograph.

No word yet from Sandy Berger on this one.