HYATTSVILLE, Md. - Twelve people have been charged with checking out $87,000 worth of books from Prince George's County public libraries to sell them for quick cash.

Prince George's County prosecutors announced the indictment Tuesday. Some of the suspects also have been charged with stealing from other Maryland libraries.

"This is a theft from the public trust," State's Attorney Glenn Ivey said. "The library is a public trust that all of us take advantage of, especially students."

The thefts at 12 branches of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System occurred between November 2008 and July 2009, officials said. The thieves targeted high-priced textbooks; the average price of the 822 stolen textbooks was in excess of $100.

With retail prices for many textbooks reaching that level, it seems inevitable that thieves would want a piece of the action and a new pipeline has developed. Books stolen from libraries are showing up in increasing volume at college bookstores which handle used books.

"If you [aren't] careful, you'll buy it," said Bernie Brew, who buys used books for The Maryland Book Exchange in College Park. "Next thing you know you got a library book they're trying to find. It's very profitable . . . for the thieves."

Brew says he tries to spot the thieves when he buys used books, but he can't catch them all. He currently has a stack from the Greenbelt Library.

"We're holding them for them to come back and get them," Brew said, adding that thieves will do what they can to disguise a book's provenance. "They scratch it out, use white out, all that stuff."

College students say they often resort to buying used textbooks because of high prices.

"They're outrageously high," said Ben Rank. "It's very tough with tuition so high. You really have to choose between, you know, going to school and buying your textbooks."

Officials say each person withdrew close to the limit of 75 books using library cards in their own names, which made it easy for investigators to track them down.

Ivey admits Tuesday's charges are just a drop in the bucket. The Internet is crowded with offers for used textbooks at bargain prices; many offers are legit, many are not.

"It gets to that point where it's so expensive people are going to do whatever they can to get it for a lower cost," Rank said.

The defendants are charged with theft over $500 and face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

The Prince George's library system spends about $4 million on materials annually.

The defendants:

• Heather Renee Harris, 30, Essex, Maryland
• Christina Louise Sexton, 32, Edgewood, Maryland
• Ashley Michelle Hassan, 20, Cockeysville, Maryland
• Kimberly Lee Whetzel, 24, Edgewood, Maryland
• Aleta Lauretta Grandy, 24, Baltimore, Maryland
• Evelyn Arlene Whye, 51, Baltimore, Maryland
• Ashley Nicole Fida, 24, Ellicott City, Maryland
• Erica Nicole Salley, 29, Baltimore, Maryland
• Kenneth Kyle Jackson Jr., 25, Cockeysville, Maryland
• Steven Harrison Noll, 26, Cockeysville, Maryland
• Robert T. Nash, 28, Bowie, Maryland
• Brittany Jo Lester, 20, Edgewood, Maryland

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