84yo Jewel Thief, Doris Payne, Strikes Again

[orangeblossom]

I guess, she'll be stealing til the day she dies.

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article27688594.html


Police say an octogenarian, international jewel thief, credited with a decades-long career in locales like France and Monte Carlo, stole a $33,000 ring from a SouthPark mall jewelry store this month.



Call her the “Golden Girl” of crime.




Doris Payne, an 84-year-old convicted jewelry thief whose criminal record dates to the 1950s, stole a diamond-studded platinum ring from the David Yurman store on July 11, according to an email CMPD sent to jewelers in the area. The Observer obtained a copy of the email.



CERTAINLY, HER AGE AND HER PERSONA...WOULD NEVER LEND YOU ANY HINTS THAT SHE WAS A WORLD-FAMOUS JEWELERY THIEF

Dovy Klarberg, vice president of Diamonds Direct South Park



Now some members of Charlotte’s jewelers community are on alert, safeguarding their inventory against a woman who CMPD said has stolen jewelery from retailers in Great Britain, France, Switzerland and other countries.



“I’m sure Charlotte is just a blip on the map for her compared to Paris, Tokyo and Greece,” said Dovy Klarberg, vice president of Diamonds Direct Southpark, across from the mall. “Certainly, her age and her persona ... would never lend you any hints that she was a world-famous jewelery thief.”



DORIS PAYNE, AN IMPOVERISHED SINGLE MOTHER, STARTED STEALING JEWELS IN HER 20S WHEN SHE REALIZED CONFUSING PEOPLE WAS EASY TO DO.



SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS



‘She is very good’



Payne is infamous in the jewelery industry, and so are her tactics, Klarberg said.



Posing as a well-to-do woman with money to spare, she walks into a jewelery store and asks to see a diamond ring, according to a 2005 Associated Press story. Personable and charming, she engages the clerk and asks to see an assortment of pieces.



Then, after confusing employees with the number of expensive jewelry items out of their cases, she casually slips one on her finger and leaves the store.



In Charlotte, it was sometime before 12:30 p.m. when she walked into David Yurman, a luxury jewelry retail chain, and allegedly took an engagement ring decorated with a platinum band and several small diamonds positioned in a halo, according to a police report.





“She uses the ‘sleight of hand tactic,’” CMPD wrote in the email. “Basically, she will have employees pull jewelry out of a display case. Once the employee is distracted, she quickly conceals them. ... She is very good. She fooled the manager at David Yurman.”



CMPD officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.



Employees at David Yurman referred questions to the corporate office in New York, where no one could be reached for comment.



“My guess is that Doris is long gone,” said Klarberg. “What makes her successful is that she’s kind of flying under the radar. She doesn’t have that typical smash-and-grab, hectic, violent jewelry heist tactic that you may be more familiar with in movies.”



Originally from West Virginia, Payne is believed to have stolen up to $2 million in jewels over the past 60 years, including a 10-carat diamond from Cartier in Monte Carlo, according to the New York Post.



SHE IS NOT A SPRING CHICKEN BUT SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE’S DOING.

Klarberg



Last year, Payne pleaded guilty to one felony count each of burglary and grand theft for stealing a 3.5-carat, $22,500 ring from a California jeweler while on probation for stealing another ring in Los Angeles, according to USA Today.



She was sentenced to four years in prison but was to serve half of her time in jail and the other half under mandatory supervision. Payne was released three months later because of overcrowding in the jail.



She was arrested again last September when she failed to report to probation authorities, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. She was released in October after persuading a judge she was confused about the reporting requirements.



In 2013, her life and proclivities were chronicled in a documentary, “The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.”



“She is not a spring chicken but she knows what she’s doing,” Klarberg said. “Though it’s criminal, Doris is someone kind of to be admired in a strange way. She’s very slick. She definitely has a talent.”



Read more here: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article27688594.html#storylink=cpy

[gazpacho]

I remember reading about her when she was caught the last time. She's totally in the wrong. But, I find her story fascinating.

[sfy]

I guess that's why I am watching her on the ID channel right now. I'm slightly behind because I rewound it but her segment just started for me. I agree that it shouldn't be, but it's funny to me, too. On the show, she's flirting with the salesman lol.

Eta - She left her kids because she needed to go national (before she needed to go international) :-|. A mess.

[gazpacho]

SouthPark can be distracting on the weekends. That probably was a perfect spot.

[sfy]

Jul 19, 2015 8:57:30 GMT -5 gazpacho said:

SouthPark can be distracting on the weekends. That probably was a perfect spot.

On the show, they're saying how technology caught up with her. She's good at keeping people distracted but once cameras are installed, they know it's her. When she was arrested by the FBI, she had several passports. She was arrested at 83 and sentenced to 2 years, but she was released in 2 months. At the end of the segment, she was saying, "There's nowhere I'm not known...why would I try to do it again?" But she was smirking .

[gazpacho]

Jul 19, 2015 9:03:04 GMT -5 sfy said:

Jul 19, 2015 8:57:30 GMT -5 gazpacho said:

SouthPark can be distracting on the weekends. That probably was a perfect spot.

On the show, they're saying how technology caught up with her. She's good at keeping people distracted but once cameras are installed, they know it's her. When she was arrested by the FBI, she had several passports. She was arrested at 83 and sentenced to 2 years, but she was released in 2 months. At the end of the segment, she was saying, "There's nowhere I'm not known...why would I try to do it again?" But she was smirking .

I've seen her face before. But, would think I knew here from somewhere else like church or someplace in the community. She has a familiar look--like she could have been one of my granny's friends.  I wouldn't likely ever connect to "international jewel thief".  Granny is a hustler with that "why would I try to do it again?"

[sfy]

Jul 19, 2015 9:10:54 GMT -5 gazpacho said:

Jul 19, 2015 9:03:04 GMT -5 sfy said:

On the show, they're saying how technology caught up with her. She's good at keeping people distracted but once cameras are installed, they know it's her. When she was arrested by the FBI, she had several passports. She was arrested at 83 and sentenced to 2 years, but she was released in 2 months. At the end of the segment, she was saying, "There's nowhere I'm not known...why would I try to do it again?" But she was smirking .

I've seen her face before. But, would think I knew here from somewhere else like church or someplace in the community. She has a familiar look--like she could have been one of my granny's friends.  I wouldn't likely ever connect to "international jewel thief".  Granny is a hustler with that "why would I try to do it again?"

Lol she does have that look!

[cville]

I know stealing is wrong and I believe in the rule of law and so forth, but I sort of love this. A thief with an actual, studied skill rather than just using violence. Like a slick pickpocket.

Also, David Yurman stuff is overpriced and boring. She did the world a favor.

[thejackpot]

I know her from the ID channel stuff and she is one determined woman. She is committed to stealing and it is wrong but it is so hilarious that she won't stop.

[orangeblossom]

I know this is not the point of this post, but man, she is and was a beautiful woman.

[shanbrite2]

I feel kind of bad that I love this. Stealing is wrong, but she sounds pretty awesome (except the whole abandoning family shizz)

[origami]

She needs to be in Ocean's 14. As her 80 year old self bc that's just hilarious. I kind of wish I was that slick.

[Deleted]

Jul 19, 2015 8:38:35 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

I shouldn't find this funny, but it is. Even funnier that she is known internationally and stole from a mall. In Charlotte. When . I think of a jewel thief, I think of someone stealing from museums or super rich people.

l

This is probably the smart way to steal though--million dollar, unique pieces would be too hard to get rid of as everyone would know immediately they were stolen.

$30k mall ring? Probably pretty easy to sell.

[ttt]

I know this is wrong and all that, but she's an international jewel thief! How glamorous is that???

If i had to choose a criminal career path, international jewel thief would definitely be my first choice.

[elleblue]

Jul 19, 2015 12:36:09 GMT -5 ttt said:

I know this is wrong and all that, but she's an international jewel thief! How glamorous is that???

If i had to choose a criminal career path, international jewel thief would definitely be my first choice.

So true. I know she's totally in the wrong but I still kind of love her anyway.

[origami]

Jul 19, 2015 12:36:09 GMT -5 ttt said:

I know this is wrong and all that, but she's an international jewel thief! How glamorous is that???

If i had to choose a criminal career path, international jewel thief would definitely be my first choice.

lol.

mine would be safe cracker. Because that sounds badass and skillful.

[cville]

Jul 19, 2015 12:59:49 GMT -5 origami said:

Jul 19, 2015 12:36:09 GMT -5 ttt said:

I know this is wrong and all that, but she's an international jewel thief! How glamorous is that???

If i had to choose a criminal career path, international jewel thief would definitely be my first choice.

lol.

mine would be safe cracker. Because that sounds badass and skillful.

Hmmm. Now I'm torn. International jewel thief = greater likelihood I'll get to wear super glam clothes and drink Manhattans. Safe cracker = working with explosives and greater likelihood I'll get to wear a leather catsuit.

Maybe I'll be an international safe cracking jewel thief.

[meshaliuknits]

Jul 19, 2015 13:37:27 GMT -5 cville said:

Jul 19, 2015 12:59:49 GMT -5 origami said:

lol.

mine would be safe cracker. Because that sounds badass and skillful.

Hmmm. Now I'm torn. International jewel thief = greater likelihood I'll get to wear super glam clothes and drink Manhattans. Safe cracker = working with explosives and greater likelihood I'll get to wear a leather catsuit.

Maybe I'll be an international safe cracking jewel thief.

I read what you wrote but heard superhero princess firefighter. LOL

[StrawberryBlondie]

I think i kind of love her.

[cville]

Jul 19, 2015 14:03:57 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Jul 19, 2015 13:37:27 GMT -5 cville said:

Hmmm. Now I'm torn. International jewel thief = greater likelihood I'll get to wear super glam clothes and drink Manhattans. Safe cracker = working with explosives and greater likelihood I'll get to wear a leather catsuit.

Maybe I'll be an international safe cracking jewel thief.

I read what you wrote but heard superhero princess firefighter. LOL

Also an option.

[foundmylazybum]

Jul 19, 2015 9:21:25 GMT -5 cville said:

I know stealing is wrong and I believe in the rule of law and so forth, but I sort of love this. A thief with an actual, studied skill rather than just using violence. Like a slick pickpocket.

Also, David Yurman stuff is overpriced and boring. She did the world a favor.

My first thought was "david yurman makes a 30k ring? Oof"