Kevin Hart’s Personal Shopper Accused of Defrauding Over $1 Million From the Comedian

According to the Queens (NY) District Attorney’s Office, a personal shopper of comedian and entrepreneur Kevin Hart was arrested for allegedly bilking Hart out of over a million dollars in unauthorized charges on his credit cards.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz revealed on Wednesday that 29-year-old Dylan Jason Syer, 29, of Long Island City, NY, was indicted and arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on grand larceny and other charges. He has been accused of making more than a million dollars in unauthorized charges and purchases using Hart’s credit cards between October 12, 2017 and February 25, 2019.

Syer began working for Hart, 41, in 2015.

“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.”

She also said, “The defendant thought he was beyond reach and was living out his uber-rich lifestyle fantasies. But my team uncovered the bogus purchases—from the credit card charges being processed by the bank, down to tracking FedEx packages delivered to Syer’s home and business. 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.”

According to Katz, Syer charged about $923,000 on Hart’s credit cards combined with $240,000 worth of jewelry and watches bought from a California jeweler.

“With Mr. Hart’s stolen money in the defendant’s bank account and at his disposal, the defendant then purchased thousands of dollars of fine art and other collectibles, and at least 5 Patek Phillipe watches valued at more than $400,000,” she said. “Among these art and collectible purchases was a Sam Friedman painting, at least 16 Bearbrick collectible dolls, 5 KAWS collectible dolls, and two Louis Vuitton Keepall Bandouliere bags.”

Syer was arraigned Wednesday before acting Queens Supreme Court Justice John Latella on a 10-count indictment. The charges include 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.

The defendant is set to return to on February 17. If convicted, Syer faces up to 25 years in prison.

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