Famous Jewel Thief Captured After Recent Theft of a Diamond Ring
November 12th, 2013 by Noam Flint
While an 83-year-old woman might not be your first suspect in a major jewelry heist, that’s the case with a recent arrest. Doris Marie Payne, an unlikely octogenarian, was recently arrested after investigators accused her of stealing a $22,000 diamond ring from a Palm Desert jewelry store.
A crooked past
Though this is no doubt an unexpected turn of events, Payne’s arrest isn’t all that shocking. In fact, the woman has had a history of jewelry heists for the past 50 years that spans all across the globe. She is even the subject of a documentary called “The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne,” which came out in 2013 and is currently on the festival circuit. The film follows the woman’s admittance that she committed several notable heists of white and colored diamonds, including a 10.5-carat stone in Monte Carlo. NBC News reported that Payne was busted two times in 2011 for pocketing baubles from stores in San Diego and Santa Monica, Calif.
“It seems like she has a real history,” Deputy Julio Oseguera, a spokesman for the sheriff’s department, told NBC. “It could be the nice old lady from next door who turns out to be something else.”
Misleading signs
Workers at El Paseo Jewelers said there were no obvious signs that the woman was a criminal when she came in Oct. 21. The store’s manager explained to NBC News that she was eloquent and well dressed, which makes her arrest somewhat of a surprise. There was some suspicious behavior, though. Most notably, she used the name Audrey in place of her real name. Furthermore, she claimed that a majority of her jewelry had been stolen from her, and told employees that she wanted to purchase items to replace those in her collection. For the next 40 minutes, Payne browsed the store and tried on several pieces. She promised to come back the next day with a cashier’s check worth $42,000 from her insurance company to buy the items and left.
An awful realization
Later on, an employee noticed that a $22,500 ring was gone from the store. The staff waited for her to come back, but she never did. Then, a worker saw an image of Payne in a news article about an international jewelry thief on the loose. Once the manager read about the woman’s history, he contacted the police.
According to The Desert Sun, Payne pleaded not guilty in Riverside County Superior Court to charges of burglary and grand theft. She is currently still being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $65,000 bail, and her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11.
