A Global Literary Mystery May Now Be Solved As FBI Arrests Man Working With UK Publisher

FBI arrested Filippo Bernardini on his arrival in US and said he was the fraudster behind the global mystery that had left the literary world appalled for 5 years.

Manuscripts of books by Margaret Atwood (right) and actor Ethan Hawke were among the targets of the phishing scam | Photos: AFP

New Delhi: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested an Italian citizen at John F Kennedy airport in New York, and said he was the same mysterious fraudster behind a global literary mystery that had kept law enforcing agencies on their toes for five years.

In what has been called an international phishing scam, someone had been stealing book manuscripts by impersonating publishers and agents.

Filippo Bernardini, 29, who was arrested upon landing in the US on Wednesday, is the same man, according to the FBI, The Guardian reported.

Bernardini worked at UK publisher Simon & Schuster. 

The FBI said he had “impersonated, defrauded, and attempted to defraud, hundreds of individuals” to get his hands on unpublished and draft works, the report said.

In a New York district court, Bernardini has been charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and his indictment said he had since 2016 registered more than 160 fake internet domains to impersonate people.

What Was The Scam?

The scam has for the last five years targeted hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, leaving the literary world appalled.

According to the report, the victims of the phishing scam involving manuscripts of novels by Margaret Atwood, Sally Rooney and actor Ethan Hawke included authors, agents, editors, scouts and even judges for the Booker prize.

They were fooled by the perpetrators who created slightly tweaked email addresses while approaching them — @penguinrandornhouse.com, for example, where ‘r’ and ‘n’ have been used to make ‘m’. 

Also, the accused used industry lingo — ‘ms’ for manuscript, for example — and came across as people who have an understanding of the publishing process, easily fooling their victims into handing over manuscripts and also tip-off on upcoming projects or film rights, the report said.

Simon & Schuster has not been named in the indictment. In a statement, the publisher said they were “shocked and horrified” by the allegations against Bernardini, and that they had suspended him.

The scam that targeted all kinds of manuscripts ranging from works by celebrities to debut novels by unknown writers had left everyone perplexed as they tried to look for possible motives behind the thefts. No ransom or blackmail demands were made, and none of the manuscripts made its way to the web. 

The Guardian report said it was suspected that the accused could have been a literary scout trying to secure information so he could make film and television deals before competitions.

Speaking to Vulture last year, Daniel Sandström from a Swedish publisher that was targeted multiple times said: “If you try to find financial and economic gain, it’s of course hard to see.”

The literary director added: “But if the game is psychological, a kind of mastery or feeling of superiority, it’s easier to visualise. This is a business full of resentment as well, and in that sense, it becomes a good story.”