NYPD Officer Accused Of Stealing Dead Man's Credit Card, Ordering Diamond Ring
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A jewelry shopping spree has landed a New York City police officer in trouble with the law.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, prosecutors said Officer Ymmacula Pierre, 30, stole credit card information from a dead man to make her pricey purchase.
The order was placed last summer at Zales.com. The diamond ring came to more than $3,200 with tax.
A credit card belonging to Kenneth Sanden, 65, of Union Square was used as payment. But Sanden had died two days before that.
Now, Pierre – an officer working in the 6th Precinct – is charged with identity theft and official misconduct.
"Crazy – a cop," a woman said. "Insane; crazy."
Pierre, 30, is a three-year NYPD veteran. Investigators said she was dispatched to Sanden's building on 14th Street last July to check on him after he missed work, and found him dead.
According to the indictment against Pierre, she secretly helped herself to the dead man's phone and credit card number, and ordered the pricey ring.
Investigators said Officer Pierre took several steps to try to hide her illegal internet jewelry shopping.
She allegedly used her boyfriend's Internet provider to place the order, and the delivery address was that of a friend who provided Pierre's NYPD job reference.
Jennifer Rogers, the dead man's niece, noticed the credit card activity and reported it to police. She declined comment Tuesday night.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus A. Vance called the alleged identity theft "disgraceful conduct by using the credit card of a dead man. No grieving relative should have to worry about the alleged theft by a uniformed officer in the aftermath of a loved one's passing."
There was no answer Tuesday night at Officer Pierre's house in West Hempstead.
She was suspended without pay Tuesday night.
