New York City police arrested a 44-year-old former New York University student at his gym October 4 on charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property after he failed to return 570 overdue political-science and history books to the campus libraries. In addition, George Szamuely, who had ignored dozens of calls and letters asking for the books’ return, owes $31,000 in fines, the New York Daily News reported October 6.
The newspaper said that Szamuely, a freelance writer for the weekly New York Press, borrowed the books when he was a continuing-education student from 1993 to 1997. Szamuely’s visibility in the weekly newspaper was a continual annoyance to the library. “A staff member said, ‘Why can’t they find this guy, he’s writing for the New York Press,’” NYU head of user services Albert Neal told the Daily News.
Although police recovered the books from Szamuely’s apartment, they won’t be returned to the library until the case goes to trial, the October 7 Daily News said.
Posted October 11, 1999.