A couple from Mesa, Arizona, are about to pay the ultimate price for overdue books after being arrested and accused of stealing hundreds of books from their local library and selling them. Ian Bartlett, 36, and Athena Bartlett, 33, were booked on felony charges of theft and trafficking stolen property.
Most understand the importance of libraries and wouldn’t dream of exploiting such a valuable institution. But unfortunately, not everybody feels the same way. The Bartletts were arrested last week after it was discovered that they had allegedly scammed the library by checking out more than $6,000 worth of books, which they had failed to return to the Mesa Public Library. All in all, the pair borrowed over 400 books using two different accounts; none of the books were returned.
The investigation into the couple began on Tuesday, May 19, after the Mesa Public Library reported to police that a male and female had stolen books and attempted to sell them, with the library labels still attached, to a local secondhand bookstore. Employees at the bookstore informed the couple that they could not proceed with the purchase on account of the books belonging to the library. The Bartletts left the store shortly after.
The bookstore subsequently notified the library, and staff found out that an account belonging to Ian Bartlett had checked them out. This was actually his second account, as Bartlett already had one account with the Mesa Public Library, which had previously been banned after failing to return $1,565 worth of books, reports ABC News.
Ian and Athena Bartlett’s alleged scam exposed
Investigators discovered that Bartlett’s second account had 66 outstanding books, with 19 of those being recovered at the bookstore, police report. Upon further investigation, five transactions at the bookstore between May 7 and May 14 were discovered. All five transactions were under Athena’s name and involved 423 books.
It’s unclear how many books Ian Bartlett and Athena Bartlett were allegedly able to steal in total, but the investigation into the matter is ongoing, with the library reporting that the amount stolen totalled somewhere around $6,200. Detectives believe that there are still many unrecovered books which have yet to be returned to the Mesa Public Library.
The Bartletts were arrested on August 10 after they returned to the library and were spotted by staff who recognized them and subsequently called the police. The pair were both booked on two charges: theft, which is a class four felony, and trafficking stolen property, which is a class two felony.
Those who believe they may have come into possession of any books stolen from the Mesa Public Library are encouraged to contact the Mesa Police Department so that investigators can better determine which books were involved in the theft.
Published: Aug 18, 2026 11:06 am