Filippo Bernardini admits to stealing unpublished manuscripts from famous authors. Picked up when he arrived at New York’s JFK airport, the FBI arrested Filippo Bernardini, an Italian citizen, whose social media profile claims he works for Simon & Schuster UK’s rights division.Īs we previously reported, the accused would send out emails “impersonating real people working in the publishing industry - a specific editor, for example - by using fake email addresses.” He would employ slightly tweaked domain names like instead of, - putting an “rn” in place of an “m.” According to the indictment, Bernardini had registered more than 160 fraudulent internet domains impersonating publishing professionals and companies. A mysterious fraudster who impersonated publishers and agents to steal book manuscripts in an international phishing scam may have finally been caught, with the FBI arresting a 29-year-old man at John F Kennedy airport in New York on Wednesday. FBI arrests 21-year-old man for criminal US intelligence leaks. The New York Times today reported that, after five long years, an arrest has been made on allegations of wire fraud and identity theft. Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.As we reported a few months ago to members, authors have fallen prey to several scams, including one in which a person claimed to work with an author’s publishing house to gain access to that author’s unpublished manuscript. Bernardini was allegedly trying to steal other people’s literary ideas for himself, but in the end he wasn't creative enough to get away with it.”

Publishers do all they can to protect those unpublished pieces because of their value.…Mr. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, said, “Unpublished manuscripts are works of art to the writers who spend the time and energy creating them. The fraud charge, the more serious of the two, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. On 5 January, the FBI arrested a man on suspicion of fraud at JFK airport in New. He is accused of impersonating literary agents and publishers over. A literary mystery, five years in the making, may finally have been solved. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York revealed that Bernardini is being charged with two counts: wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The FBI arrested Filippo Bernardini, a 29-year-old Italian employee of major publisher Simon & Schuster, in New York this week. The motive for the alleged phishing scam remains unclear none of the manuscripts seem to have been offered for sale online. who was arrested by the FBI in January last year, appears to explain a. Fox, and Ian McEwan, but also up-and-coming writers like Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and Kiley Reid. A representative for Simon & Schuster said at the time that they were shocked and horrified to learn. An Italian man has admitted stealing more than 1,000 unpublished manuscripts, many written by high-profile authors. The alleged scam was a bizarre one, with someone posing as a figure in the publishing industry contacting authors from misleading email addresses, asking them to send copies of their works in progress.Īuthors targeted under the scheme included big names like Ethan Hawke, Margaret Atwood, Michael J. The Simon Schuster UK employee was apprehended at John F. The FBI arrested an Italian man, Filippo Bernardini, in connection with the case, the New York Times reports.

Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, said, Unpublished manuscripts are works of art to the writers who spend the time and energy creating them. In New York this week, the FBI arrested Filippo Bernardini, a 29-year-old Italian employee of major publisher Simon & Schuster. The FBI arrested an Italian man, Filippo Bernardini. A man has been arrested in connection to a phishing scam that stole and attempted to steal hundreds of unpublished book manuscripts from authors such as Margaret Atwood and Ethan Hawke. A mystery that has shaken the literary world for years the theft of hundreds of unpublished manuscripts from distinguished authors might finally be about to be solved. Now, just over a year later, the story has taken another unexpected turn. Now, just over a year later, the story has taken another unexpected turn. Driscoll, the assistant director-in-charge of the FBI’s New York office, said in a statement that Bernardini abused his insider knowledge to steal other people’s literary. In December of 2020, the book world couldn’t stop talking about a seriously weird publishing story: A scam artist was luring authors to send copies of their unpublished manuscripts.

Fbi arrests man unpublished manuscripts