Oh, what to do when you need extra cash and your job won’t give you any overtime? The Chicago Tribune and The Daily Herald report that a suburban Chicago man thought of a get-rich-quick scheme that might never have occurred to you and me, dear reader.
Forty-three year old James F. Jackson of Glen Ellyn, Illinois had the brilliant idea of stealing rare and expensive books from area libraries, and then selling them on the Internet. He was arrested Monday morning after a four-month long investigation into reports from area libraries that reference books had gone missing. Lisle Police Commander Ron Wilke said: “He [Jackson] was looking for expensive books that would cost a library a lot of money.”
The process was simple. After stealing thousands of books and DVDs, enough to fill a closet in his apartment, Jackson posted a list of books he had for sale on Amazon.com, along with another list of items he didn’t have but said he could acquire for customers.
In an odd twist that hasn’t yet been fully explained, Jackson apparently left notes at the library indicating that the items he had taken could be bought on Amazon.com. It was these notes that allowed the library to file a police report, which then permitted Amazon to release seller records to the police.
When Jackson was arrested at his apartment, the police found the closet full of books and DVDs clearly marked as being the property of the Lisle library. While the criminal case is being processed, the materials, which filled a panel van, are being held at the Lisle police station.
Jackson is currently incarcerated in DuPage County jail, where his bail is set at $25,000. He hasn’t released a statement to let us know what he’s going to sell to come up with the bail money.
Chicago Tribune; Image via Trib Local.
