A Brooklyn man has been sentenced for buying plane tickets so he could steal thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the shops at JFK Airport on more than one occasion, prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
Eric Love, 51, pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny in July and agreed to pay $3,363. He was sentenced to serve between 1 1/2 and three years in prison.
According to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, Love was seen on surveillance footage at JFK Airport committing one theft that occurred at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2017. He stole more than 34 bottles of Chanel, Tom Ford, Hugo Boss, Gucci and Dior fragrances from a store located inside of the departure gate of Terminal Five.
Love was then seen placing the items, valued at $3,300, into a Nike rolling bag and leaving the store without paying for the items.
Prosecutors said that Love returned to the same store twice more in April 2017. On April 2, 2017, Love was seen on surveillance footage taking 12 more bottles of expensive perfumes, valued at an estimated $2,000, and leaving the store without paying. Love came back to the store two days later and was seen taking six additional bottles of cologne and perfume worth approximately $1,000.
Finally, on April 17, 2017, Love was seen on surveillance footage at the Hudson Newsstand in Terminal Four using a burglar’s tool to remove 18 Fitbit devices, valued at $3,900, from a display case. After stashing the devices in his Nike bag, Love left the store without paying.
“In pleading guilty, the defendant admitted to entering these shops with the sole purpose of stealing perfume and electronic devices,” said Brown. “His multiple attempts – all of which were captured on video – resulted in the removal of thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise. The defendant has now been sentenced as a result of his criminal actions.”
