3rd Guilty Plea In Theft Of $94K In Handbags From Balenciaga: DA

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A third person has pleaded guilty in the theft of nearly $94,000 worth of stolen handbags from an East Hampton shop in March, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Jamal Johns, 26, of Newark, NJ, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree grand larceny, for his part in stealing the merchandise from the luxury retail store Balenciaga, Tierney said.

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

Johns, 26, was arrested on March 3 after he, along with Ali Harris, 28, Wazir Rodgers, 25 and Baseemah Davis, 34, all of Newark, and a yet to be identified woman, were captured on surveillance video stealing nearly $94,000 worth of handbags from the Hamptons store.

The video showed that at 1:30 p.m., a 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; after a short time, she asked a store employee to check if they had a shoe in a particular size, Tierney said.

According to court documents, when the employee went 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 individuals ran out of the store, Tierney said. They then got into a Dodge Durango and fled, Tierney said.

Responding officers from the East Hampton Village Police Department located the fleeing Durango and began a pursuit, which had to be terminated, Tierney said. Shortly afterward, a New York State trooper saw the Durango and also began a pursuit; the trooper pursued the Durango as it got off of Sunrise Highway at Exit 62 and headed north on Route 111, Tierney 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 seen 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. The trooper followed the vehicle from a safe distance and observed the vehicle exiting the LIE at Exit 69, Tierney said. Next, the trooper then saw the individuals exit the Durango, with three of them running toward a wooded area just north of their location and two remaining at the vehicle, Tierney said.

An ensuing search of the area led to the arrests of Johns, Rogers, Harris, Davis, as well as the
recovery of 34 of the stolen handbags, Tierney said. An investigation to locate the unidentified female is ongoing, Tierney said.

“Organized retail theft is taken seriously in Suffolk County. Merchants and the jobs that they bring are vital to the well-being of our citizens,” said Tierney. “As I have said before, you cannot come to Suffolk County and steal what is not yours without law enforcement coming after you to the fullest extent of the law. If you come to Suffolk County with the intention of stealing someone else's property, we will catch you and send you to prison.”

Rodgers and Davis pleaded guilty in August to second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, Tierney said. Harris’ case remains open, he said.

Johns is due back for sentencing on October 18 in front of the Honorable Anthony Senft, Tierney said.