Court Document: Accused Chinatown Pickpocket Gave Stolen Money To The Poor
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Prosecutors say a Vietnamese-born Florida woman has become a pickpocketing pest on trips to Chinatown.
Ha Vasko pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the latest in a series of grand larceny and other charges. Manhattan prosecutors said the Melbourne, Fla. resident has grabbed or tried to snag wallets and cash out of the pockets and purses of at least 10 people on Chinatown streets since last June.
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1010 WINS' Al Jones speaks with the accused woman's lawyer
A court document says the 67-year-old woman told police she didn't like Chinese people and gave the stolen money to the needy.
Her lawyer Richard Wojszwilo said Vasko has been diagnosed as a kleptomaniac.
"She has significant psychiatric problems going back many, many decades," he told 1010 WINS' Al Jones.
A judge suggested Tuesday the case might belong in a special court designed to channel non-violent, mentally ill offenders to treatment.
Prosecutors say they're unconvinced of the diagnosis. Vasko remains behind bars on $100,000 bond.
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