2nd Person Pleads Guilty To Stealing $94K In Handbags From LI Shop: DA

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A second person has pleaded guilty to stealing $94,000 in handbags from an East Hampton shop, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

According to Tierney, Wazir Rodgers, 25, of Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree grand larceny for his part in stealing the bags from the luxury retail store Balenciaga. Rodgers also pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of stolen property and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, Tierney said.

Rodgers was arrested on March 3, after he, along with Baseemah Davis, 34, Ali

Harris, 28, and Jamal Johns, 26 — all of Newark, New Jersey — and a yet to be identified woman were captured on surveillance video stealing nearly $94,000 worth of handbags from the store, Tierney said.

The video shows that at 1:30 p.m., the female who remains at-large entered
Balenciaga wearing a pink ski-type mask over her face and sunglasses, Tierney said.

The woman appeared to be on her cell phone as she walked around the store and looked at various handbags, Tierney said. After a short time, she asked a store employee to check if they had a shoe in a particular size, he added.

According to court documents, when the employee attempted to retrieve the shoes for her, Rodgers, Harris, Davis and Johns rushed into the store and hurriedly began taking luxury handbags from the shelves, Tierney said. After taking several bags each, all five ran out of the store, got into a Dodge Durango and fled, the DA added.

Responding officers from the East Hampton Village Police Department located the
fleeing Durango and began a pursuit, which has to be terminated, Tierney said. Shortly afterward, a New York State trooper observed the Durango and initiated a pursuit as the Durango as got off of Sunrise at Exit 62 and headed north on Route 111, the DA said. That pursuit also had to be terminated due to safety concerns as the Durango was traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and was observed veering into oncoming traffic lanes, Tierney said.

The trooper saw the Durango heading west on the Long Island Expressway with smoke coming out of the rear of the vehicle, Tierney said. He followed the vehicle from a safe distance and observed the driver exit the LIE at Exit 69, officials said.

The trooper then saw the individuals exit the Durango; three of them ran toward a wooded area just north of their location while two remained at the vehicle, Tierney said.

Rodgers was pursued by the trooper on foot and arrested, Tierney said. A search of the area led to
the arrests of Harris, Davis and Johns, as well as the recovery of 34 of the stolen handbags, the DA said. An investigation to locate the unidentified female is ongoing, he added.

The guilty plea was heard before Honorable Anthony Senft. Rodgers is expected to be sentenced on September 19, Tierney said.

“This defendant made the decision to travel to Suffolk County with a group of co-conspirators for the specific purpose of committing a brazen crime that they thought they could get away with,” said Tierney. “Now, he is yet another defendant who has pleaded guilty for his part in committing this retail theft. I cannot emphasize this enough — organized retail theft in Suffolk County will not be tolerated and if you attempt to steal property that does not belong to you, we will catch you and send you to prison.”

A New Jersey woman also pleaded guilty Tuesday for her part in stealing the almost $94,000 in handbags, Tierney said.

Davis, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, Tierney said. Davis also pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of stolen property and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, Tierney said.

Davis is due back for sentencing on Sept. 23 in front of Senft; Johns also has a court date on September 23, Tierney said.