The university’s collection included a first-edition printing of Darwin’s The Origin of Species valued at $25,000 and an Illuminated Manuscript from 1425 valued at $200,000. “We are talking about some of the most valuable printed books in the world,” journalist and author Evan Ratliff told “Super Heists” of the library’s natural history collection. Reinhard took note of the extensive rare book collection at Transylvania University Library. He and pal Warren Lipka started a fake ID ring for thrills and quick cash-but they soon set their sights on a much bigger payday when friend Spencer W. I just felt very lost.”īorsuk had once dreamed of finding adventure by becoming an FBI agent, but by the time he reached college, he was more intrigued by a life on the other side of the law. “I just had no sense of identity growing up. “Just seeing that lifestyle there I think was like a big turn off for me,” he said. Pat Murray said of the bold heist.Įrik Borsuk, a co-mastermind of the audacious theft, had grown up amidst the amidst the strip malls, chain restaurants, and horse enthusiasts of Lexington, Kentucky, but he found himself yearning for a different, more thrilling life. “It takes some cojones to come in there and do a robbery in broad daylight,” Retired Lexington Police Sgt.

on CNBC.īut the heist wouldn’t go as planned and whether it was an initial botched attempt, losing a significant portion of the $12 million haul, comedically vomiting out the van window during the getaway or struggling to find a way to offload the rare, stolen merchandise, foursome soon found themselves in uncharted territory as they tried to evade investigators. “They were all seeking some type of transformational experience, some type of thrill,” Kelly Richmond Pope, a forensic accounting expert told “Super Heists” in a new episode airing Monday night at 10 p.m. Instead, they were a group of clean-cut suburban college students anxious to shed their predictable lives for drama, excitement-and the promise of a large payday. A brazen daylight robbery of some of the world’s rarest books from a university library in Kentucky was carried out by an unlikely set of suspects.

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