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DA: NYPD Officer Uses Dead Man's Credit Card To Buy Diamond Ring

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) --  Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but they can also land you in jail.

An NYPD Officer has been charged with using a dead man's credit card to buy diamond jewelry, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., said Tuesday.

On July 14, 2014, Officer Ymmacula Pierre went to an apartment in Greenwich Village for a wellness check, according to court documents.

Once inside the 12 East 14th Street apartment, Pierre, 30, found the resident dead, Vance said.

Pierre used the 65-year-old man's cell phone to call a relative, Vance said.

She then documented some of the man's belongings, including a Citibank MasterCard, as per standard procedure.

Two days later, however, Pierre allegedly used the credit card information to purchase a diamond ring valued at more than $3,200 from Zales, Vance said.

The dead man's relative was notified by Zales of the possible credit card fraud, and alerted the vendor before the jewelry was delivered to the address allegedly specified by Pierre.

The home happened to be an associate and personal reference Pierre listed on her application to become an NYPD officer, Vance said.

"Because police officers take an oath to protect and serve, they are held to a higher standard of behavior in the course of their duties," said Vance. "In this case, the defendant is accused of disgraceful conduct by using the credit card information of a dead man to buy expensive jewelry. No grieving relative should have to worry about alleged theft and misconduct by a uniformed officer in the aftermath of a loved one's passing."

Pierre was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, identity theft, attempted grand larceny and official misconduct.

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