ATLANTA — An Ohio bookbinder will spend nearly two years in jail after she stole close to $500,000 from his Atlanta business partner.
Michael Chrisman was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to spend one year and nine months in jail.
Chrisman worked as a rare book restorer and bookbinder and had promised clients he would provide 70 sets of replicas of Gutenberg Bibles. He sent his clients false invoices and then pocketed the money to pay for personal expenses, according to U.S. District Attorney John Horn.
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“Mr. Chrisman tricked the victim into paying false invoices for hand-bound Gutenberg Bible facsimiles that were never completed, and the defendant repeatedly lied to cover up his fraud,” Horn said in a news release Wednesday.
The original Gutenberg Bible was the first book printed in Western Europe using movable metal type, and the few remaining original copies are among the most valuable books in the world.
Chrisman agreed to bind the replica Gutenberg Bible pages using traditional 15th century binding techniques, including hand-binding the pages in pigskin leather with brass clasps.
The victim in this case had planned to sell each replica two-volume set for $12,500.
From October 2010 to June 2013, Chrisman send about two-dozen invoices, charging the victim up to $5,500 for each completed Bible set, and for supplies as well.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said in reality, Chrisman had only finished five of the more than 70 sets he had promised, resulting in a loss of more than $480,000 for the client.
Chrisman was ordered to pay $483,403 in restitution. He was convicted of wire fraud on Sept. 6.
Cox Media Group
