Kevin Hart‘s former personal shopper has been charged with stealing more than $1m (over N381 million) from the actor cum comedian.
Dylan Jason Syer, 29, who began working for the Jumanji actor in 2015, was indicted and arraigned in New York’s Queens Supreme Court on grand larceny charges for allegedly stealing more than $1 million from the comedian, Queens District Attorney, Melinda Katz announced on Wednesday.
Syer was arrested on Wednesday and police recovered about $250,000 (over N95 million) worth of cash and goods while serving a search warrant at his home.
Katz alleges that Syer was “living out his uber-rich lifestyle fantasies” by making unauthorised purchases on with the comedian’s credit cards from October 2017 to February 2019.
The Attorney stated;
No one is immune to being targeted by fraudsters. This defendant, who owned a personal shopper business, used legitimate purchases to gain access and then allegedly continued to charge the actor’s credit cards for astronomical sums of money.
According to Katz, Syer gained access to Hart’s credit card numbers when he was hired to obtain several garments for the comedian in 2015, under the condition that Syer “would only make authorised purchases”.
However, the DA said Syer made over $923,000 in unauthorized charges, in addition to $240,000 worth of jewelry and watches.
Syer allegedly used the stolen funds to purchase designer bags, fine art and collectibles, including a Sam Friedman painting, two Louis Vuitton duffle bags, 5 KAWS collectible dolls, Patek Philippe watches and at least 16 Bearbrick collectible dolls. The shopper flaunted these luxury items on his social media account.
Katz in a press released stressed;
This should serve as a cautionary tale for everyone. Regardless of whether you are a celebrity or not, anyone can fall victim to this kind of fraud. It is paramount to keep track of your expenses, check your credit reports and diligently keep your financial information to yourself.
Syer has now been charged with grand larceny in the first and second degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the first and second degree, identity theft in the first degree and scheme to defraud in the first degree.
If convicted, the 29-year-old from Long Island City in New York faces up to 25 years in prison. He is due to return to court on February 17.
Hart earned $39m (£28m) from his acting, comedy and sponsorships in 2020, according to Forbes. He is, as at January 2021, worth $200 million.
