Indictments Handed Down in Alleged Textbook Theft Ring
- by Michael Stillman
Defunct Doorkeeper Textz website. Are those “kidz” running off with stolen books?
There is a right way to trade in books and a wrong way. This is a story about the wrong way. Los Angeles area textbook wholesaler Doorkeeper Textz obtained its books in a very wrong way according to an indictment handed down by a Los Angeles County Grand Jury recently. That an occasional bookseller, like any other merchant, could go wrong is not astonishing, though disappointing. What is surprising is how many public employees he allegedly was able to get to participate in his scheme. This is public service at its worst.
According to the indictment, Corey Frederick, proprietor of Doorkeeper Textz in Long Beach, found a dozen different public employees who embezzled books for his business in return for bribes. They worked for schools in L.A. and surrounding communities, some in warehouses where textbooks were kept, others were even librarians. Reportedly, he went so far as to sell some of the books back to the schools from which they were pilfered.
According to the indictment, Mr. Frederick offered bribes to various employees in return for text books under their control. These were no small payments. Some ran as high as tens of thousands of dollars. The indictment does not spell out how many books were taken, nor their value, but considering the size of the bribes, they must have been substantial. The indictment claims the following bribes were made by Frederick:
An Inglewood School District Plant Manager - $1,110.
An Inglewood School District Librarian - $4,200.
Unnamed Inglewood official or employee - $23,708.
A Bellflower School District Warehouse Supervisor - $47,728.
A Lynwood School District Librarian - $14,214.
A Los Angeles School District Office Technician - $34,718.
Another Los Angeles School District Office Technician - $4,675.
Yet another Los Angeles School District Office Technician - $21,573.
One more Los Angeles School District Office Technician - $6,099.
Oh these L.A. District “Office Technicians” - $4,003.
What is with these Office Technicians? - $1,191.
You guessed it. Another Office Technician - $12,798.
Obviously, the Los Angeles School District needs to do a better job of screening its office technicians. That aside, one can only wonder how so many people could be corrupted. How was Mr. Frederick, if the allegations are true, able to round up so many people in public service without someone notifying the authorities? The alleged crimes took place between 2008-2010, but were not discovered until more recently.
From this list, we come up with $176,000 in bribes. While we don't know the value of the stolen merchandise, it must have been substantially more for someone to take on the risk and responsibility for selling it all. This represents a lot books, and now, sadly, a lot of bookings.
Koller, Mar. 25: KAFKA, FRANZ, SCHRIFTSTELLER. Eigenh. Brief mit Unterschrift. Prag, 20. Oktober [19]15. CHF 30,000-40,000.
Koller, Mar. 25: EINSTEIN, ALBERT. Zwei eigenhändige Briefe an Ernst Gabor Straus, unterschrieben "A.E" bzw. "A. Einstein". [Princeton], [19]45. und [1950]. CHF 30,000-40,000.
Koller, Mar. 25: HORTENSE DE BEAUHARNAIS, MUTTER VON NAPOLEON III. Album aus ihrem Besitz mit 69 Aquarellen und Pinselzeichnungen in Sepia oder Grau… CHF 14,000-18,000.
Koller, Mar. 25: ZOOLOGIE - ORNITHOLOGIE - Seligmann, Johann Michael. Verzameling van uitlandsche en zeldzaame Vogelen. Teile 1-8 (von 9) in 2 Bänden. Mit 421 prächtig altkolorierten Kupfertafeln. CHF 14,000-20,000
Koller, Mar. 25: BOTANIK - Berlèse, Lorenzo und Johann Jakob Jung. Iconographie du genre camellia... 3 Bände. Mit 300 Farbstichtafeln "a la poupée.” Paris, [1839-]1841-1843. CHF 12,000-18,000.
Forum Auctions Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026 25 March 2026
Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- Andrews (H.C.) Coloured Engravings of Heaths, 4 vol. in 2, first edition, [1710,--94]-1802-1809-[1830]. £10,000 - £15,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Butterflies.- Cramer (Pierre) and Caspar Stoll. De Uitlandsche Kapellen voorkomende in de drie Waereld-Deelen…,, 5 vol., Amsterdam & Utrecht, 1779-91. £8,000 - £12,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Voyages.- Darwin (Charles) and others. Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle, 3 vol. in 4, including Appendix to vol.2, first edition, 1839. £8,000 - £12,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Butterflies.- de Graaf (Willem Diederik Vincent). [Inlandsche Kapellen in beeld], 170 fine original watercolours, [Enkhuizen], [1800-40]. £8,000 - £12,000.
Forum Auctions Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026 25 March 2026
Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Dresser (Henry Eeles). A History of the Birds of Europe, 9 vol., including supplement, first edition, by the author, 1871-96. £6,000 - £8,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Zoology.- Felines.- Elliot (Daniel Giraud). A Monograph of the Felidæ or Family of the Cats, first edition, for the Subscribers, by the Author, [1878]-1883. £25,000 - £30,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Frisch (Johann Leonard). Vorstellung der Vögel Deutschlandes, 2 vol., first edition, Berlin, Friedr. Wilhelm Birnsteil, [1736]-1763. £40,000 - £60,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Gould (John). The Birds of Great Britain, 5 vol., first edition, by the author, 1862-1873. £30,000 - £40,000.
Forum Auctions Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026 25 March 2026
Forum, Mar. 25: Pomology.- France.- Poiteau (A.) Pomologie Française. Recueil des Plus Beaux Fruits cultivés en France, 4 vol., Paris, 1846. £30,000 - £40,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- [Robin (Jean)]. Histoire des Plantes, nouvellement trouvées en l'Isle Virgine…,, 1620; with Geoffrey Linocier L'Histoire des plantes, second edition, 1619-20. £3,000 - £4,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Asia.- Japan.- Siebold (P.F. von). Nippon. Archiv zur Beschreibung von Japan, 7 parts in 6 vol., first edition, Leyden, [1832]-1852. £35,000 - £45,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Asia.- Valentijn (Francois). Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën..., 5 vol. in 8, first edition, Dordrecht [&] Amsterdam, 1724-26. £8,000 - £12,000.
Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- Australia.- Redouté (P.J.).- Ventenat (Étienne Pierre). Jardin de la Malmaison, 2 vol.,, Paris, 1803-04[-05]. £30,000 - £40,000.
