MANHATTAN — A police officer stole the credit card number from a man she found dead in his apartment and bought a $3,200 diamond ring with it, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Police Officer Ymmacula Pierre, 30, who worked in the 6th Precinct, swiped the number during a "wellness check" of a sick 65-year-old man on East 14th Street last July, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
Pierre, who joined the force in 2012, found the man dead and used the his phone to contact a relative. She also vouchered some of his property including a Citibank MasterCard, prosecutors said.
Two days later, prosecutors said, Pierre used the credit card to buy a ring worth more than $3,200 from Zales.
Prosecutors tracked the ring purchase back to the address of personal reference Pierre had used on her police application, prosecutors said.
“In this case, the defendant is accused of disgraceful conduct by using the credit card information of a dead man to buy expensive jewelry," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said. "No grieving relative should have to worry about alleged theft and misconduct by a uniformed officer in the aftermath of a loved one’s passing.”
She was indicted Tuesday on charges on criminal possession of stolen property, identity theft, attempted grand larceny and official misconduct.
The NYPD confirmed Pierre had been arrested and charged but had no further comment about the incident.
The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the union that represents police officers, referred calls for comment to her lawyer who could not be reached for immediate comment.
