Three charged in conspiracy to sell stolen papers with Eagles lyrics

Three men were accused Tuesday of attempting to sell the cache of papers — including about 100 pages filled with the lyrics of songs like “New Kid in Town,” “Life in the Fast Lane” and the iconic “Hotel California” — despite lacking proper rights to the materials.

Rock auctioneer Edward Kosinski, rare-book dealer Glenn Horowitz and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame director of acquisitions Craig Inciardi were charged with plotting to sell the stolen pages — valued at more than $1 million — by lying to authorities, fabricating stories about where the materials came from and preventing their rightful owner, Eagles founding member Don Henley, from acquiring them.

“These defendants attempted to keep and sell these unique and valuable manuscripts, despite knowing they had no right to do so. They made up stories about the origin of the documents and their right to possess them so they could turn a profit,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said in a news release.

Attorneys for Kosinski, Horowitz and Inciardi — who pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday — didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from The Washington Post. However, in a joint statement, they deemed the accusations as unwarranted, Law & Crime reported.

“The DA’s office alleges criminality where none exists and unfairly tarnishes the reputations of well-respected professionals,” the men’s attorneys said in a statement to the outlet. “We will fight these unjustified charges vigorously. These men are innocent.”

How the papers ended up in the hands of three collector magnates — and almost sold by auction giants Sotheby’s and Christie’s — is a story that begins when former Eagles guitarist Don Felder began writing the song “Hotel California” after he joined the group in 1974.

Now it’s the Eagles vs. Hotel California in a federal court

Felder shared a demo reminiscent of “Mexican reggae” with Henley and Glenn Frey, the Eagles’ frontman who died in 2016, and they came up with the concept and cinematic lyrics for the song, which would ultimately catapult the eponymous album to No. 1 in 1977. Since then, “Hotel California” — which draws inspiration from life in hotels and “the dark underbelly of the American Dream,” Henley told CBS News — has sparked conspiracy theories about its lyrics and praise for its haunting guitar arpeggio.

The song’s creation process was documented by Henley in pages that vanished after a writer who was working on a book about the band got ahold of them. The writer — who was not identified in the indictment — then…