A serial shoplifter who has been arrested nearly 100 times was arrested in Times Square after resorting to old-fashioned tactics – released on the same day by jail, authorities and sources. Said.
Christopher Dornfeld, 33, was released after his recent arrest and was scheduled to turn himself in for residential treatment, but he failed to show up and was arrested Wednesday night from an H&M in Times Square. Police arrested a repeat shoplifter on suspicion of stealing $267 worth of merchandise. According to police and prosecutors.
Mr. Dornfeld was most recently arrested on robbery charges in 2022, but law enforcement officials say his rap sheet also includes 90 arrests dating back to 2006.
Thirty-five of those arrests have since been vacated or sealed, officials said.
Mr. Dornfeld's arrest comes at a time when Michael Ripetri, director of crime prevention strategies for the NYPD, said shoplifting crimes are being committed at an unprecedented rate, with police making 21,000 shoplifting-related arrests this year. This came just days after the announcement was made that there would be an increase of 2,000 people from last year.
“And as we always say, shoplifting is a crime driven by repeat offenders,” he said.
“About 575 people will be participating this year.” [who] More than 6,000 shoplifting arrests…accounting for 30% of the total [the shoplifting] arrest. ”
Those same 575 people collectively recorded 16,000 shoplifting arrests during their “lifetimes of crime,” Lipetri said.
“If you look at the total number of arrests over their lifetime, they've had 25,000 arrests.”
Dornfeld pleaded guilty to a 2022 theft charge and was sentenced Wednesday to up to 15 months of residential treatment.
He was released from custody and was quickly re-arrested on a bench warrant for failing to report to the show.
Prosecutors said his guilty plea would have been invalidated if he had successfully completed the program and avoided rearrest, but he now faces up to seven years in prison. There is.
Dornfeld is currently in police custody. He was charged with petty theft and criminal possession of stolen property.
He has not yet been charged with the new charges.
