Historian pleads guilty to stealing Lincoln letter

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. historian pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal charge stemming from stealing letters penned by former U.S. Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Edward Renehan, 51, admitted stealing a March 1, 1840, letter written by Lincoln and two by Washington, one written on August 9, 1791 and one written and signed on December 29, 1778.

Renehan later sold them to a New York gallery for $97,000, according the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan.

Renehan, who has written six books including one on the Kennedys, stole the letters from the Theodore Roosevelt Association, a New York-based historical and cultural association where he had been a director.

He pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Renehan had suffered from bipolar disorder that was undiagnosed during 2005 and 2006 at the time of the thefts, his lawyer Peter Brill said.

"He apologized to his family and colleagues, he said the whole episode was embarrassing," Brill said after the hearing.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Michelle Nichols)