A POLICE OFFICER in New York City has been arrested and charged with identity theft and attempted grand larceny.
Ymmacula Pierre, 30, is accused of using a dead man’s credit card to purchase a diamond ring worth more than $3,200, according to an indictment filed by District Attorney Cyrus Vance.
Pierre was on patrol in Manhattan on 14 July last year, when she responded to a call regarding an elderly man in a nearby apartment on 14th Street.
When she arrived there, she found the 65-year-old man, who was suffering from medical problems, had died.
Records show Pierre then used his Samsung Galaxy phone to call his niece, and – as is protocol – collected his credit cards.
However, according to a statement by Vance, the NYPD officer allegedly used the dead man’s Mastercard two days later to order a diamond ring online.
The ring was valued at more than $3,200 and came from Zales, a jewelry retailer.
The incident came to light when Mastercard notified the dead man’s family about possible fraudulent activity, and Zales cancelled the order before the ring was delivered.
The New York Times reports that the online purchase was traced to her boyfriend’s IP address.
In a statement, District Attorney Vance said:
Because police officers take an oath to protect and serve, they are held to a higher standard of behavior in the course of their duties.
In this case, the defendant is accused of disgraceful conduct…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.
Ymmacula Pierre, who has reportedly been a NYPD officer for three years, is charged with possession of stolen property, identity theft, attempted grand larceny, and official misconduct.
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