Kevin Hart’s former personal shopper appears to have been a rip-off.
Dylan Jason Syer, 29, 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 Wednesday.
Katz alleges that Syer was “living out his uber-rich lifestyle fantasies” on Hart’s tab by making unauthorized purchases on Hart’s credit cards from October 2017 through February 2019.
“No one is immune to being targeted by fraudsters,” Katz said. “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 authorized purchases.”
However, the DA said Syer made over $923,000 in unauthorized charges, in addition to $240,000 worth of jewellery and watches.
Syer allegedly used the stolen funds to purchase designer bags, fine art and collectables, including a Sam Friedman painting, two Louis Vuitton duffle bags, 5 KAWS collectable dolls and at least 16 Bearbrick collectable dolls. The DA says Syer flashed the luxury items on his social media account.
“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,” Katz said in a press release.
Syer was arrested Wednesday and police recovered about $250,000 worth of cash and goods while serving a search warrant at his home.
He was 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, Syer faces up to 25 years in prison.
Katz thanked Hart for his “cooperation in this investigation.”
