« « 2007 NYC Thanksgiving Day Parade | Home | American Dad - My Wife is a Realtor » »

The Manhattan Open House Bandits are Caught

November 26, 2007

caught.gif

Last night, Doug Heddings reported on his blog that the Manhattan Open House Bandits were caught. Today, both Curbed and the New York Post follow up on the story:

Two Upper East Side women could soon be en route to the big house - for targeting rich Manhattan residents at open houses and making off with their valuables, cops said yesterday.

Jessica Joyner, 39, and Jennifer Jones, 33, were arrested on Saturday and charged with petit larceny, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

Big ups to Doug for reporting them in the first place and to the person who managed to get the license plate number. This is by no means an end to a very serious problem. Real estate agents who conduct open houses need to have a system in place that insures that our clients valuables are safeguarded. Whether it’s having multiple agents or assistants conducting open houses and escorting buyers or checking for valid ID, as a brokerage community, we owe our clients a piece of mind. Step up New York!

Update:

Jennifer Jones on FaceBook

j-jones.gif

Although they did steal some things from open houses, everyone deserves a second chance. I’m interested on hearing their side of the story to see why they did this. Was it for fun? Were they broke? Drugs? Mental issues? I mean, let’s take a step back for a second. Yes, they did do some bad things but they didn’t kill anyone. Let’s all learn from this event. Take some notes. Make some changes. Be smarter and more aware of our surroundings. Be more professional.

Update - 11.27.07

According to the New York Post via Curbed:

Joyner was convicted in New Jersey of drug possession seven years ago, according to her lawyer, Karen Newirth, who told a judge that “Joyner has medical and psychiatric issues.”

Records reveal a slew of civil judgments against Joyner for unpaid or uncollected bills totaling nearly $30,000 in Virginia and New York.

Both Joyner and Jones were clients of the Some Like it Hot Yoga salon on East 63rd Street, whose owner said Jones claimed to be the head of a financial firm, even as she tried to hawk a line of “energy juices” to staff there.

Jones was arrested in Brooklyn for robbery in September 1989, and busted again a month later for drug possession and sale a month and a half later, records show. She spent nearly four months in jail, but the outcome of those cases was not known yesterday.

Her lawyer, Newirth, said Jones “is active in the recovery community” and “has medical issues and severe pain” caused by a neurological condition.

And, according to the New York Sun:

The two women suspected of stealing luxury goods from Manhattan open houses are being linked to a similar crime in an affluent New Jersey town, officials said.

So, it seems they have quite the history. Like I said earlier, I just wanted to know why they did it. This information gives us an idea of their state of mind and reasons behind their criminal actions.

Related Posts

Posted by Rudolph D. Bachraty III | Filed Under Manhattan Open Houses 

Comments

5 Responses to “The Manhattan Open House Bandits are Caught”

  1. ines on November 27th, 2007 1:29 am

    are you kidding me? a second chance? you are nuts Rudy!

  3. Rudolph D. Bachraty III on November 27th, 2007 9:10 am

    hi ines!

    second chance? yeah, why not? maybe i feel that way because it’s the holiday season and i’m all warm and fuzzy inside. what do you suggest? they lock em up and through away the key?

    call me crazy but people do stupid things for stupid reasons. it doesn’t mean that they are necessarily bad people. and by the way, they will get out one day and it will be up to them how they proceed with their lives. this may be a wakeup call for them both to better themselves.

    at one point while reading all the articles about what happened and constantly seeing negative stories on the news i said to myself, people are way to quick to judge when they don’t even have all the facts. just thought i’d keep an open mind for once and see how my day turned out. thus far, not bad :)

    miamism rocks ines!

    peace,

    - rudy

  5. ines on November 27th, 2007 10:50 am

    Drop the warm and fuzzies Rudy - there HAS to be a consequence, that’s what discipline is all about and it applies to kids as well as adults (maybe these ladies did not get any of that as children).

    I’m not saying lock them up - give them community service! Make them wear unflattering orange jumpers on the highway and pick up garbage, or better yet - make them sit at open houses with Realtors, YEAH!!

  7. Rudolph D. Bachraty III on November 27th, 2007 1:52 pm

    but i like warm and fuzzy :)
    seriously though, they did commit a crime. they should pay for what they did. then what?

    some people said one woman looked like a man and that the other one crapped all over herself when they were confronted in doug’s open house. the embarrassment alone should wake their asses up.

    when i said second chance, i meant a fresh start. they should learn from their mistakes and better themselves. will they? i don’t know. some people are just hopeless. others, on the other hand, see the errors in their ways and choose to do something positive about it.

    i’d still like to know why they did it….everyone has a story……

    UPDATE:

    based on the new information from the Post and Sun, their past histories add clarity to their actions. they have some serious problems.

  9. susie q on December 14th, 2007 11:43 pm

    I know these two and they are MENTAL!! They have no morals or values, the blonde booper is claiming she is innocent, no remorse, no regrets, she is blaming it on the he/she girlfriend/lover. They are most likely not going to be able to be rehabilitated since they have not taken ownership of their actions they think they are innocent even though they have confessed and were caught red handed…how can that be.

    Like I said, they are mentally ill and they are hoping their lawyers that they bought will be able to get them off…that is a crime as well!!! They should pay society and be punished like the criminals they are!

Got something to say?





rebny.jpg