ADDITIONAL DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY TO GRAND LARCENY AND OTHER CHARGES IN BALENCIAGA RETAIL THEFT

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the guilty plea of Wazir Rodgers for Grand Larceny in the Second Degree for his part in stealing merchandise from the luxury retail store Balenciaga in East Hampton.  

“This defendant made the decision to travel to Suffolk County with a group of co-conspirators for the specific purpose of committing a brazen crime that they thought they could get away with,” said Tierney. “Now, he is yet another defendant who has pleaded guilty for his part in committing this retail theft. I cannot emphasize this enough, organized retail theft in Suffolk County will not be tolerated and if you attempt to steal property that does not belong to you, we will catch you and send you to prison.”

In addition to pleading guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Rodgers also pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree.   

Wazir Rodgers, 25, was arrested on March 3, 2022 after he along with Baseemah Davis, 34, Ali Harris, 28, and Jamal Johns, 26, all of Newark, New Jersey and a yet to be identified woman were captured on surveillance video for allegedly stealing nearly $94,000 worth of handbags from the luxury retail store.

The video shows that at approximately 1:30 p.m., a female subject (who remains at-large) entered Balenciaga wearing a pink ski-type mask over her face and sunglasses.  The woman appeared to be on her cell phone as she walked around the store and looked at various handbags.  After a short time, she asked a store employee to check if they had a shoe in a particular size. 

As alleged in court documents, when the employee attempted to retrieve the shoes for her, Rodgers, Harris, Davis and Johns, rushed into the store and hurriedly began taking luxury handbags from the shelves.  After taking several bags each, all five individuals ran out of the store.  They then got into a Dodge Durango and fled. 

Responding officers from the East Hampton Village Police Department (EHVPD) located the fleeing Durango and began a pursuit.  Shortly afterwards, a New York State Trooper observed the Durango and initiated a pursuit.  The Trooper pursued the Durango as it got off of Sunrise at Exit 62 and headed north on Route 111.  That pursuit also had to be terminated due to safety concerns as the Durango was traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph and was observed veering into on-coming traffic lanes. The Trooper saw the Durango heading westbound on the LIE with smoke coming out of the rear of the vehicle. He followed the vehicle from a safe distance and observed it exit the LIE at Exit 69.  The Trooper then observed the subjects exit the Durango.  Three of them ran toward a wooded area just north of their location while two subjects remained at the vehicle. 

Rodgers was pursued by the Trooper on foot and arrested.   An ensuing search of the area led to the arrests of Harris, Davis and Johns, as well as the recovery of 34 of the stolen handbags.  An investigation to locate the unidentified female is ongoing.

Rodgers pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree and remains in custody.

This guilty plea was heard before Honorable Anthony Senft. Rodgers is expected to be sentenced on September 19, 2022.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney James J. O’Rourke, IV, of the Major Crime Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Johanna Poremba of the East End Bureau.

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Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

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