What to Know
- A man stole two rare books from an Upper East Side bookstore in April
- The books are valued at $20,000
- Police tracked down the suspect using a FedEx tracking number attached to the package he used to return the books in September
All's well that ends well for an Upper East Side bookstore.
A thief who stole two rare books from a Manhattan bookseller in April was arraigned and arrested Wednesday, law enforcement sources said.
Gavriel Hundiashvili walked into the PRPH bookstore near Madison Avenue and 64th Street, where he removed two antique books worth approximately $21,000 from a gallery display shelf at around 3 p.m. on April 16, police said.
In a surveillance video, the 35-year-old was seen placing the books inside a soft briefcase and leaving the store without paying for them, according to prosecutors.
Officials were able to locate the suspect in Queens by using the package's FedEx tracking number.
Law enforcement sources said that the thief returned the stolen texts through FedEx in September, a week after police released his photo.
Local
Hundiashvili was charged with third-degree grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree.
