MIDTOWN — An employee of Bergdorf Goodman stole more than $23,000 worth of wallets, handbags and other merchandise from the luxury department store by hiding some of the items in her undergarments, police said.
A security officer was working at the 754 Fifth Ave. store around 7 p.m. on March 6 when he saw Geneve Castro, 23, take a handbag and three scarves from displays inside the store, a complaint filed with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said.
The Brooklyn resident proceeded to hide the handbag “in her groin area” and tucked the scarves inside her bra before walking past several registers and moving to another floor inside the store without paying, the DA’s office said.
The four items were valued at $3,105, according to complaint.
Police identified Castro as an employee of Bergdorf Goodman, although it was not clear whether she was working there at the time of her arrest or had worked there previously.
After security detained her, she told an assistant manager that she had swiped other merchandise from the store in the past, the DA’s office said.
When the assistant manager accompanied Castro to her home, the suspect brought out several wallets and handbags, a scarf, and a hat with Bergdorf Goodman tags on them and gave them back to the employee, the complaint said.
She told the assistant manager she'd stolen them, but neither police nor the DA's office provided dates or times for those incidents.
Castro had also kept stolen items at her boyfriend’s home, police said.
In all, the items she had stolen prior to arrest were valued at $20,382 — bringing her total take up to $23,487 in merchandise, police and the DA’s office said.
Castro was arrested and charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, the DA’s office said.
She was released on her own recognizance the day after her arrest and is expected to appear in court on May 5.
An attorney for the woman could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Bergorf Goodman did not immediately respond to request for comment.
