Eagles: Multiple Men Indicted for Selling Handwritten Lyrics Stolen From Don Henley
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and two other men were indicted for allegedly attempting to sell over 100 pages of notes and lyrics Don Henley wrote while the Eagles were preparing to record their best-selling album Hotel California. The notes included the lyrics for "Hotel California, "Life in the Fast Lane," and "New Kid in Town." Inciardi, Glenn Horowitz, and Edward Kosinski allegedly tried to sell the notes, valued at over $1 million, New York officials said Tuesday.
The three men were charged in New York State Supreme Court with one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Brigg Jr. announced in a press release. Inciardi, 58, and Kosinski, 59, were also charged with criminal possession of the stolen property in the first degree. Horowitz, 66, faces a charge of attempted criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree and two counts of hindering prosecution in the second degree.
According to court documents, an author hired to write the Eagles' biography stole the notes in the late 1970s. The author sold the manuscripts to Horowitz, who sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski. Henley learned the two were trying to sell some of the notes, so he filed police reports. The "Dirty Laundry" singer told the defendants the notes were stolen and he wanted them back. Instead, the defendants spent years trying to stop Henley from getting the notes back, the indictment says.
Inciardi and Kosinski created fake evidence to show how they obtained the notes and tried to force Henley to pay for the notes, according to the indictment. Meanwhile, they also attempted to sell the manuscripts at Christie's and Sotheby's. They even allegedly asked Sotheby's to hide Henley's claims the notes were stolen from potential buyers before an auction in 2016.
In December 2016, the District Attorney's Office used a search warrant to receive the notes from Sotheby's. They also seized 84 pages of the notes from Kosinski's New Jersey home. Then, Horowitz allegedly created a false document claiming Henley's late bandmate Glenn Frey gave the notes to him to avoid criminal prosecution. Authorities obtained an email in which Horowitz wrote, "[Frey] alas, is dead, and identifying him as the source would make this go away once and for all." Frey died in January 2016.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame suspended Inciardi just before the Manhattan D.A. announced the indictment, reports Rolling Stone. "At this time we do not know whether Craig engaged in any wrongdoing," Hall of Fame president and CEO Joel Pressman wrote in a letter to board members. "He will remain on leave pending the resolution of the third party internal investigation and the extent of the charges once the indictment is unsealed."
Eagles manager Irving Azoff told Rolling Stone the band was pleased and Henley hopes the documents are returned to him soon. "This action exposes the truth about music memorabilia sales of highly personal, stolen items hidden behind a facade of legitimacy," Azoff said in a statement. "No one has the right to sell illegally obtained property or profit from the outright theft of irreplaceable pieces of musical history. These handwritten lyrics are an integral part of the legacy Don Henley has created over the course of his 50-plus-year career."