FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A 52-year-old employee of a Financial District flower shop stole $1,540 from the store after faking a robbery, police said.
Kyung Im originally told police that in the early morning hours of April 2, two men came into Eden Flowers, located at 56 Fulton St., taped his wrists and mouth shut, and swiped the cash from the register.
But a week later, Im drastically changed his story. On April 9, he confessed to cops at the 1st Precinct that he’d staged the robbery, and returned all the money that was taken, police said.
Im was hit with several misdemeanor charges, including petit larceny, fifth degree criminal possession of stolen property and falsely reporting an incident, according to the criminal complaint against him.
He was released without bail and is due back in court on May 28, according to court records. His lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Other notable crimes in this week's NYPD blotter in the 1st Precinct include:
► Cops arrested Jonathan Miranda, 21, Saturday after he tried to purchase two computers totaling $5,600 from the Apple Store at 103 Prince St. using three fraudulent Chase Bank checks, police said. He was charged with identity theft, criminal possession of a forged instrument and attempted grand larceny. He’s due back in court on April 19. His lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.
► Police arrested two women for attempting to steal more than $1,000 worth of beauty products each from Sephora at 555 Broadway on April 12, right after they had both stolen jewelry from boutique C. Wonder at 72 Spring St., the NYPD said. When police caught the women, Natalie Rivera, 28, and Maximilla Cordero, 29, trying to leave the store with a slew of cosmetics, fragrances and lotions, they also found the stolen merchandise from the SoHo shop, police said. Rivera had swiped a $589 bracelet, while Cordero had $681 in accessories from C. Wonder, the NYPD said. The women’s charges include grand larceny, burglary and criminal possession of stolen property. They are due back in court on June 14. Their lawyers did not immediately return a request for comment. They were both released on their own recognizance.
► A black Suzuki GXR motorcycle was stolen from the corner of Albany Street and South End Avenue, according to police reports. A 48-year-old man told police he parked the $15,469 bike, which belonged to his girlfriend, on the corner at 8:30 a.m. on April 10. He said he noticed the bike was still there about 12:30 p.m., but when he headed back to the street at 3 p.m., the motorcycle was gone.
► A 24-year-old woman had her iPhone 5 stolen out of her purse while she partied with pals at the W.i.P club — known for the infamous Chris Brown and Drake brawl — on Friday night. She told police she held onto her bag the whole night, but realized her phone was gone when she left the 34 Vandam St. club at 3 a.m. Saturday. She used a tracking feature to see her phone had traveled to Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn, but then her phone was turned off, police said.
► A man wearing a baby blue baseball cap and a denim jacket splattered with paint shoplifted two handbags worth $2,350 from upscale boutique Mulberry on April 9, according to police. An employee of the shop at 134 Spring St. told police he noticed two bags, a $1,000 light orange clutch and a $1,350 light pink purse, were missing from the display, which led him to check surveillance footage. He watched the man, on video, swipe the bags, then leave the store.
► A 21-year-old woman had her iPhone 5 stolen while she was riding the 4 train Downtown on Saturday afternoon, police said. She told police that a man pushed her friend and intentionally bumped into her as he was exiting the train at the Wall Street stop. Once he left, she realized her phone was gone.
► A young man grabbed a beige handbag worth $2,995 from the display of luxury store Chloe at 93 Greene St. on April 9, then left the shop, police said. The incident was captured on video surveillance.
► A 25-year-old woman had her iPhone 4 stolen from her purse, which she wore slung over her shoulder, at the SOB club at 204 Varick St. about 2:50 a.m. Sunday, police said.
► A 41-year-old woman had her wallet stolen from her backpack as she carried her 4-month-old daughter while shopping at Century 21 at 22 Cortlandt St. on April 3, police said. The woman told cops she noticed her backpack had been unzipped and her wallet taken after she went down escalators in the huge department store.
► A 25-year-old law student had his bag, which contained a MacBook Pro laptop and several law school books, stolen from the Tribeca Tavern at 247 West Broadway on April 11, according to police reports. The young man said while he was out with friends at the restaurant, he placed his bag at the end of their table. As they all were getting up to leave, he realized he’d left his bag, but by the time he went back, it was already taken. The books and computer were worth a total of $1,990, according to police reports.
► A 64-year-old woman had her wallet, which contained $400 in cash, as well as her $50 scarf, stolen from her handbag as she got a haircut at Serenity Salon at 458 West Broadway on April 8, police said. The woman told cops she left her bag on a nearby sofa while her hair was being done, and when she eventually went to pay, she realized the wallet and scarf were gone.
