Woman Sentenced For Role In $94K Bag Theft At Hamptons Balenciaga: PD

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A New Jersey woman was sentenced to prison Tuesday for her part in the theft of almost $94,000 in handbags from the exclusive Balenciaga store in East Hampton last year.

Baseemah Davis, 34, was sentenced to two to six years in prison for her part in stealing merchandise from the East Hampton Balenciaga retail store in March, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

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

Davis, as well as Ali Harris, 29, Wazir Rodgers, 25, and Jamal Johns, 26, all of Newark, New Jersey, were arrested March 3 shortly after they were captured on surveillance video stealing the nearly $94,000 worth of handbags from the retail luxury store, Tierney said.

The group was also helped by an unidentified female accomplice, who remains at large, Tierney said.

The store video showed that at about 1:30 p.m., a woman entered Balenciaga wearing a pink ski-type mask over her face and sunglasses, prosecutors 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, officials added.

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

East Hampton Village police located the fleeing Durango and began a pursuit; shortly afterward, a state trooper also saw the Durango and initiated a pursuit, officials said.

The trooper followed the Durango as it exited Sunrise Highway at Exit 62 and headed north on Route 111, Tierney said. The driver of the Durango began speeding at more than 100 miles per hour and was seen veering into oncoming traffic lanes, causing law enforcement to abandon the pursuit for safety reasons, officials said. The trooper again saw the Durango heading westbound on the Long Island Expressway with smoke coming out of the rear of the vehicle, officials said. He followed the vehicle from a safe distance and observed it exit the LIE at Exit 69, where those in the vehicle stopped and got out; three of them ran toward a wooded area just north of their location, while two remained near the vehicle, Tierney said.

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

Davis was sentenced before County Court Judge Anthony S. Senft, Jr.

Johns pleaded guilty in September to second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, Tierney said. He was sentenced to 3.5 to 7 years in prison in November and was represented by John LoTurco, Tierney said.

Rodgers pleaded guilty in October to second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of stolen property in October and was sentenced to 3 to 9 years of in prison that that same month; he was represented by Steven Wilutis, Tierney said.

Harris pleaded guilty in October to second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of stolen property and was sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison in December; Harris was represented by Jason Bassett, Tierney said.

"Large-scale retail theft results in consequences for our communities," Tierney said. "These consequences are felt by store owners and by consumers, who ultimately must bear the costs of such activity through increased prices and the unavailability of certain goods."