Defense attorneys for two men accused of stealing $8 million in rare books and documents from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh over the course of two decades want prosecutors to detail on what dates each of the 321 items was stolen.
The attorneys argued during a hearing Friday before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Alexander P. Bicket that learning the date of every theft was critical to defending their clients, former library archivist Gregory Priore, 62, of Oakland and co-owner of Caliban Book Shop John Schulman, 55, of Squirrel Hill.
Both men were charged with theft, conspiracy and related counts in July, when prosecutors say they discovered a years-long scheme in which Mr. Priore smuggled rare items from the library and sold them to Mr. Schulman, who then re-sold them through his business.
Attorneys Robert G. Del Greco Jr., who represents Mr. Schulman, and Patrick Livingston, who represents Mr. Priore, argued that learning the dates will allow them to consider statute of limitation and alibi defenses for their clients, and suggested the 25-year range for the crimes provided by prosecutors was too broad.
“I don’t think it’s clear that Mr. Priore admitted to every single book,” Mr. Livingston told the judge, adding that Mr. Schulman’s bookstore was just down the road from the library. “That’s a logical point to investigate, that there may have been some books sourced by someone else other than Mr. Priore.”
Assistant District Attorney Brian Catanzarite said there is no question the case falls within the statute of limitations because it is charged as a conspiracy and involves deception.
Under state law, he said, the statute of limitations begins only when such crimes are discovered — in this case, in 2017. He also argued that because of the way the case was charged — with the hundreds of thefts consolidated into a handful of charges — the district attorney’s office has already provided enough information on the dates of the crimes to defense attorneys.
“This is an ongoing course of conduct that completely decimated the Carnegie Library’s collection,” Mr. Catanzarite said, adding that Mr. Priore deceived everyone at the library for years. “[The statute of limitations] doesn’t start until that deception and fraud is finally discovered.”
Judge Bicket opted not to rule on the defense attorneys’ request Friday, and instead asked the two sides to sit down for a conference and negotiate the best path forward.
A date for that status conference was not immediately set.
Shelly Bradbury: 412-263-1999, sbradbury@post-gazette.com or follow @ShellyBradbury on Twitter.
First Published: February 1, 2019, 11:18 p.m.
