Jeffrey Ying, aka Alan Fujimori, aka Jason Wang, aka Austin Chen, has been sentenced for his $216,000 manuscript theft from the East Asian Library at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles). He pleaded guilty. The evidence made it logical to do so. It worked out as well as he could have hoped for. He was sentenced to jail, but only to time already served. There will be no fine. However, he will have to pay restitution, an amount to be determined.
The alias who "borrowed" the rare and valuable manuscripts from the UCLA Library was "Alan Fujimori." He created a fake ID with which to take out the material. He created copies that looked like they held the valuable manuscripts but did not contain them. He put something else in there, including blank pages. When he returned them to the library, no one must have checked them very carefully.
After he did this, he would take flights to Hong Kong or Shanghai. Presumably, he was taking the manuscripts with him as these would be of particular interest in China. We can also presume that he returned, not with the manuscripts, but cash instead.
Library officials became suspicious when they learned that "Alan Fujimori" had conducted thefts at other libraries. They checked their video camera film and realized he was the same person as one "Austin Chen," who also visited the library, and that both were the same as Jeffrey Ying. The police were informed. When Austin Chen next came to the library, the police were waiting for him. They discovered he had a key card from a hotel, and when they went to visit his room, discovered the materials needed to create fake books. The evidence was overwhelming. Ying chose to plead guilty, the result being the sentence recently handed down.
One thing we can say about Jeffrey Ying, besides being a crook, is that he is not very smart. Why would you use a fake ID in a name that has already been caught stealing from a library? Another fake ID would not have set off alarm bells, but this one would. Ying should have used the UCLA library to learn how to earn an honest living instead.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Euclid. Praeclarissimus Liber Elementorum in Artem Geometrie, Venice, Ratdolt, 25 May 1482, first edition of the first substantial mathematical work to appear in print, Durazzo copy.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Galilei, Galileo. Sidereus nuncius …, Venice, 1610, first edition of the foundation of modern astronomy.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Kepler, Johannes. Astronomia nova aitiologitos …, Prague or Heidelberg, 1609, first edition, contemporary vellum, the Chasles copy.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Cellarius, Andreas. Harmonia macrocosmica seu atlas universalis et novus ..., Amsterdam, Jan Jansson, 1661, brilliantly handcolored.
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: The "Hatfield" Apple-1 Computer in working condition, signed by Steve Wozniak with a letter signed by Steve Jobs. Estimate: $500,000-800,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: REICHARDT, JASIA; curator. Cybernetic Serendipity: The computer and the Arts. Portfolio and Catalogue. Estimate: $5,000-8,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: An Apple Lisa 1 Microcomputer. Estimate: $50,000-70,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: A rare Apple Paladin "All-In-One" computer prototype. Estimate: $40,000-60,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: 30th Anniversary "White OC" Edition Asus ROG Nvidia Astral Gegorce RTX 5090 signed by Jensen Huang. Estimate: $10,000-15,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: A clear plastic prototype Apple Macintosh Portable. Estimate: $10,000-15,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: An Apple Jolly Roger pirate flag. Estimate: $4,000-6,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: An Apple Newton messagepad engineering development notebook. Estimate: $4,000-6,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: A rare 1839 Jacquard-woven silk portrait of Joseph-Marie Jacquard. Estimate: $4,000-6,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: A clear plastic prototype Apple Macintosh Powerbook Duo dock with an Apple Powerbook Duo 280. Estimate: $3,000-4,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: A clear plastic prototype Macintosh 'Apollo' Classic II. Estimate: $3,000-5,000
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: WEIZENBAUM. Computer Power and Human Reason. 1976. Estimate: $1,500-2,500
Bonhams, Now thru Oct. 14: An Apple Newton Messagepad with marketing display. Estimate: $1,000 - 1,500
