theft

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New Zealand's Weird Crime Wave: Avocado Theft

Shortage sends prices soaring to $5 each

(Newser) - Thieves have sparked a crime wave in New Zealand targeting … avocados. There have been at least 40 large-scale thefts of avocados since January, with thieves stealing onto farms in the middle of the night, raking trees, and loading vehicles with the fruit to be sold at road-side stalls and...

Thieves Dressed as Employees Terrorize NYC Apple Stores

They've made off with nearly 100 iPhones since February

(Newser) - Thieves have stolen more than $55,000 worth of iPhones from New York City Apple Stores over the past four months by dressing as employees. The New York Post reports it started in February when a woman dressed like an Apple employee grabbed eight iPhones from an Apple Store on...

Thieves Swipe $5M Bejeweled Eagle —From Guy's Backpack

Owner was apparently walking around telling people he was carrying it

(Newser) - An 18-pound, solid-gold eagle statue adorned with 763 diamonds and a massive emerald recovered from a 17th-century shipwreck has been stolen—but it wasn't exactly a Mission: Impossible-esque heist. Owner Ron Shore says he had his " Maltese Eagle ," valued between $5 million and $9 million, in his...

Accused in $2M Theft, NYC's 'Hottest Vegan' Felled by Pizza

She's now in Riker's, accused of stealing millions from her own restaurant

(Newser) - It's a dizzying downfall: Sarma Melngailis went from the Ivy League and French Culinary Institute to near-instant fame and success in the Big Apple when she opened the vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine, frequented by the likes of Alec Baldwin. Hailed as the city's "hottest vegan"...

Stolen Columbus Letter Sat in Library of Congress

It's now been returned to Italy

(Newser) - In February 1493, Christopher Columbus described his historic journey of the previous year in a letter to the king and queen of Spain. Though the letter was reprinted and circulated throughout Europe, only about 80 copies remain—and now the US is sending one of them, a stolen one, back...

James Gandolfini's Rolex Taken as He Lay Dying: Prosecutors

Paramedic Claudio Bevilacqua, 43, is accused

(Newser) - A paramedic in Italy is accused of pilfering James Gandolfini's Rolex Submariner watch as the actor lay dying, NBC News reports. Prosecutors say Claudio Bevilacqua, 43, stole the $3,000 watch after the actor suffered a massive heart attack in June 2013—but it's not clear whether the...

Dad Leaves Baby in Running Car, Car Gets Stolen

3-month-old found safe on a Detroit porch

(Newser) - A Detroit dad is lucky to have his infant back after he made a stop at a convenience store early Monday and left the baby in the car, engine running and doors unlocked, while he ran inside, the Detroit Free Press reports. When he came back out around 1am, his...

Flight Attendant Charged With Stealing 1,500 Mini Liquor Bottles

She allegedly sold them on Craigslist

(Newser) - Officials say a former Endeavor Air flight attendant is charged with stealing nearly 1,500 mini-bottles of liquor from her job and selling them online, the AP reports. The Shelby County, Tennessee, district attorney's office said Friday that 28-year-old Rachel Trevor has been indicted on charges including theft, unlawful...

California Veterans Get Their Stolen WWI Cannon Back

A man was surprised to find he had bought a stolen cannon

(Newser) - A WWI-era cannon was returned to its home of nearly 70 years this week after a Bay Area man realized he had accidentally purchased the stolen antique, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 1-ton cannon was installed outside the Veterans Memorial Hall in Richmond, California, in 1947. On May 1,...

Italy: Stealing Food Not a Crime if You're Starving, Homeless

Court's ruling would be 'blasphemy in America'

(Newser) - This week, Italy's highest court ruled it's not illegal for a starving homeless person to steal food needed to survive, the Guardian reports. The ruling stems from a 2011 incident in which a homeless man named Roman Ostriakov paid for a bag of breadsticks at a supermarket while...

Cops: NY Mayor Stole 111 Road Signs
Cops: NY
Mayor Stole
111 Road Signs
Apr 26, 2016 9:47 AM CDT

Cops: NY Mayor Stole 111 Road Signs

Suspect accused of lifting state signs to use in his own town

(Newser) - The mayor of an upstate New York town has been busted for pilfering 111 road signs from the New York State DOT and using them in his own town, CNYCentral.com and the AP report. Frank Moracco, 60, who serves as the mayor of the village of Frankfort, was arrested...

Teacher Who Won $1M Award Accused of Stealing $15 Blouse

She says it was a misunderstanding

(Newser) - An English teacher from Maine who won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize last year has been accused of shoplifting a blouse worth $14.99, the AP reports. According to the Portland Press Herald , security personnel saw Nancie Atwell browsing through a Damariscotta store on March 28. The security officers...

'Provolone Poacher' Lifts $2K in Cheese from Restaurant

The Colorado eatery keeps losing its Italian delicacy to theft

(Newser) - The "provolone poacher" has struck again at a Colorado restaurant, but this time he said "cheese" for security cameras. Police say someone stole 19 cases of the Italian cheese from the Do Drop Inn in Pueblo early Tuesday, the AP reports. The restaurant doors were damaged and restaurant...

Cops: Woman Looted GoFundMe Funeral Fund

Police say Krystal Gentley set up the fund, then took the money

(Newser) - Police say a New Hampshire woman stole more than $5,000 from a GoFundMe account she created to cover funeral costs for a family whose daughter died, the AP reports. Nashua police said Monday that 26-year-old Krystal Gentley approached the family last year and asked if she could create the...

Brink's Worker Swiped $200K in Quarters: FBI

That's 10K pounds' worth of coin, which he's accused of replacing with beads

(Newser) - An ex-money processing manager for Brink's Company in Alabama who had access to bags and bags of quarters swapped out coins for beads and made off with nearly $200,000 in 2014, per the FBI. Stephen Dennis, 49, has agreed to plead guilty and pay Brink's back for...

Cops: Man Confesses to Nearly 100 Thefts

He's allegedly had to start repeating victims

(Newser) - Police say an incredibly prolific thief in New York is back in jail after stealing from the same poor victim for the second time in as many months, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports. According to the AP , 24-year-old Kenneth Lafler allegedly got into the woman's car and took her purse...

Buddhist Monk Is Philly's Newest Crimefighter

61-year-old tried to take down thief who interrupted his lotto session

(Newser) - Don't mess with Philadelphia's men of the cloth—especially if those cloths are orange. A 61-year-old Buddhist monk at a lottery machine in a Philly gas station Jan. 3 was targeted by a thief who probably assumed the holy man was an easy mark, the Philadelphia Daily News ...

Cops: Craigslist Mover Swipes Couple's Stuff

He allegedly made off with more than $30K of their belongings

(Newser) - Craigslist can be a great place to rent an apartment, buy a used microwave, and hire some movers—provided you don't mind if those things are roach-infested, busted, and wildly untrustworthy, in that order. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports a Missouri man has been charged with felony theft after...

345-Mile Boat Chase 'Out of a Mission Impossible Movie'

Coast Guard pursues alleged boat thieves across Gulf of Mexico

(Newser) - Some Christmas Eve: Members of the US Coast Guard spent it in high-speed pursuit of three suspected boat thieves across the Gulf of Mexico, NBC News reports. The chase began when a sheriff's marine unit in Fort Myers, Fla., responded to a tip about a 36-foot powerboat being stolen....

Charges: Psychic Cons $200K From Lacoste Heir

She allegedly told the victim 'evil spirits' would get her

(Newser) - A professional psychic is accused of conning more than $200,000 out of a wealthy University of Colorado student, the Longmont Times-Call reports. Victoria Lacoste—of the Lacoste clothing family—started getting tarot card readings and spiritual advice from 32-year-old Becky Ann Lee, owner of Psychic Chakra Spa in Boulder,...

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