DA: Can’t hide, lying guys
Bragg says dealers knew handwritten lyrics to Eagles hits were stolen
A criminal case centered on handwritten lyrics to “Hotel California” and other classic-rock hits by the Eagles got underway in New York City on Wednesday, with three men accused of conspiring to own and resell the allegedly stolen manuscripts valued at more than $1 million.
In July 2022, prosecutors in Manhattan announced the indictment of Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski in connection to a conspiracy involving the possession of approximately 100 pages of songwriter Don Henley’s handwritten notes and lyrics from the Eagles’ massively successful fifth studio album, “Hotel California,” released in 1976.
According to court documents, the manuscripts were stolen nearly 50 years ago by author Ed Sanders, who had been hired to write a biography of the band.
While the book was never published, Sanders sold the manuscripts in 2005 to Horowitz, a prominent rare-books dealer, who later sold them to former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia auctioneer Edward Kosinski.
Even though all three men allegedly knew the material was stolen, they attempted to sell the manuscripts and lied to potential buyers and law enforcement about their provenance, according to prosecutors.
The men attempted to keep and sell the papers “despite knowing they had no right to do so,” said District Attorney Alvin Bragg in 2022, adding the material included early versions and notes of the songs “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” and “New Kid in Town.”
When Eagles co-founder Henley first learned Inciardi and Kosinksi were trying to sell the manuscripts, he bought back some of the material for $8,500 but also contacted authorities and demanded the return of his property.
But instead of making sure the material was returned to its rightful owner, Bragg claimed the defendants engaged “in a yearslong campaign” to prevent Henley from recovering what was rightfully his.
On Wednesday, during opening arguments, Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Penfold said the “defendants were not businessmen acting in good faith, but criminal actors.”
Attorneys for the defendants — who have pleaded not guilty — argued Sanders was the legal owner of the documents, and so were the three men who later bought them. Sanders has not been charged in the case.
“The evidence will show that no theft occurred,” Horowitz’s lawyer, Jonathan Bach, said in his opening statement.
Henley is expected to testify at the trial sometime between the Eagles’ upcoming tour dates over the next few weeks.
The defendants in the case opted for a bench trial last week, meaning Justice Curtis Farber will ultimately decide the verdict.