Bernardini bailed after pleading not guilty to manuscript theft allegations

Filippo Bernardini, the London publishing staffer arrested and charged by the FBI with allegedly stealing hundreds of book manuscripts over several years, has been released on bail.

Bernardini pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft at a court hearing in Manhattan, Publisher’s Lunch reported. ​Magistrate Judge Robert Lehrburger set bail for $300,000 (£221,556) which was secured by the London home of Bernardini’s partner, who was at the hearing.

Bernardini, an Italian citizen who works as a rights co-ordinator at Simon & Schuster UK, was arrested this week after landing at John F Kennedy International Airport. The US Department of Justice claims he impersonated people in the publishing industry over a number of years in order to have authors, including a Pulitzer Prize-winner, send him pre-publication manuscripts. 

S&S is not accused of any wrongdoing in the indictment and has suspended Bernardini’s employment.

Bernardini was represented in court by Hannah McCrea at the non-profit Federal Defenders of New York. He surrendered his passport and will stay with a friend in the West Village. McCrea said: “This is a very humbling experience. He intends to take it seriously.”

However assistant US Attorney Daniel Nessim had claimed Bernardini was an “overwhelming” flight risk, and claimed he said to the FBI when they took him into custody: “I’m not a US citizen, how could I be charged in the US?’”