NEW YORK CITY — A pair of thieves accused of stealing a $50,000 chinchilla coat from a Manhattan store earlier this month may be behind three new thefts in Boulder, Denver and Vail a Colorado businessman says.
Scott Seale, who co-owns several MAX Clothing Stores locations in Colorado, said Monday that his businesses in Boulder and Denver were robbed Feb. 13, costing him about $20,000.
Security footage Seale provided to DNAinfo shows a man and woman working together to steal a Celine Nano handbag worth more than $2,000, a Bottega Veneta dress worth $1,900 and a Rick Owens leather jacket worth $2,500, according to the shop owner.
Seale said the individuals caught on video appear to be the same suspects shown in security footage released by The Fur Source of NY, which was robbed Feb. 5.
Seale said he was tipped off to the possible connection by Denver police officers.
Not satisfied with their haul, the pair of robbers also appear to have hit another store in Vail on Feb. 14.
The owner of a store in Vail, Kathleen Smith, said Monday that the duo stole a $35,000 chinchilla coat from her business, which she asked not to be named. Smith said her security footage showed the same people as in the Denver and Boulder robberies.
Boulder Police Department spokeswoman Shannon Cordingly told DNAinfo New York the department is working with the NYPD “to determine if our cases are related.”
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that coordination Tuesday, adding that the department is investigating whether the Colorado crimes are linked to a spate of recent luxury robberies in New York. No arrests have been made as part of that investigation, the spokesperson said.
The four incidents apparently showing the same two suspects appear to follow a pattern. While the woman pretends to shop, the man stuffs garments, complete with their hangers, inside his clothing.
However, while the two appeared unhurried in New York, Seale said they acted differently in Colorado.
"All of my sales people said they were whispering to each other, they were kind of stand-offish," he said, adding that the woman spoke with "a fake French accent."
Seale said his store’s items don’t have electronic tags, but Smith said her store at 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues does employ the technology. For some reason, the system didn’t work, she said.
“I wish I would have caught them,” Smith said.
Seale said that while he’s had the occasional shoplifter during his 30 years in the luxury clothing business, he’s never dealt with such professional thieves.
He said he doubts the stolen items would be sold online, as that would raise questions about their authenticity. Instead, Seale guessed that they're being shipped abroad before being sold.
