Industry insider arrested for allegedly stealing hundreds of book manuscripts in online scam

The notorious industry insider is suspected of having attempted to dupe some of the world’s biggest authors like Sally Rooney and Margaret Atwood.

An Italian man was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Wednesday after he was indicted by a grand jury on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

While Filippo Bernardini, 29, worked as a rights co-ordinator for popular London-based publishers Simon & Schuster, the FBI claims he “impersonated, defrauded, and attempted to defraud, hundreds of individuals” in an attempt to obtain drafts and unpublished manuscripts.

It’s believed some of the world-renowned authors Mr Bernardini has allegedly attempted to swindle include Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), Kiley Reid (Such a Fun Age), actor Ethan Hawke and Sally Rooney (Normal People, Conversations with Friends).

His indictment records also reveal Mr Bernardini successfully received the manuscript from a Pulitzer Prize winning author in September 2020, however their identity has not been disclosed.

Legendary author Margaret Atwood was allegedly targeted in the scam.

So was Sally Rooney, who wrote the smash-hit Normal People.

Authorities have yet to determine the reason for his scheme which investigators state saw him create 160 fake internet domains from 2016.

It’s believe Mr Bernardini did not sell or leak any documents on the internet prior to their release, nor did he attempt to hold the works for ransom.

Court documents state these websites impersonated publishing houses, literary talent agencies, scouts and even some of the accused’s fellow colleagues, the result of which duped authors into sharing hundreds of manuscripts.

Since the arrest, Mr Bernardini has been suspended by his employer, with a statement from Simon & Schuster saying they were “shocked and horrified” by the news.

“The safekeeping of our authors’ intellectual property is of primary importance to Simon & Schuster, and for all in the publishing industry, and we are grateful to the FBI for investigating these incidents and bringing charges against the alleged perpetrator,” said a spokesman for the publisher, speaking to the Associated Press.

Since his arrest, Mr Bernardini was indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Picture: Chris Hondros/Getty Images.

In a statement, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, said Mr Bernardini’s actions “undermined” the reputation of authors and harmed their earning potential.

“Such pirating can also undermine the secondary markets for published work, such as film and television, and can harm an author's reputation where an early draft of written material is distributed in a working form that is not in a finished state,” he said.

“This real-life storyline now reads as a cautionary tale, with the plot twist of Bernardini facing federal criminal charges for his (alleged) misdeeds.”