75-year-old woman accused of pickpocketing in NYC, charged with grand larceny

A 75-year-old woman was arrested and charged after allegedly pickpocketing a woman at a grocery store in East Harlem, New York, according to Fox News.

Michelle Chacon, from Corona, Queens, was arrested after she was caught on camera allegedly committing what appears to be a pickpocketing at a grocery store. Chacon's alleged method was to rub up against a victim and pretend to pick something up off the floor before eventually stealing a wallet from the woman's purse.

After she withdrew $300 from a nearby bank on March 31, 2023, the victim said she thinks the suspects followed her from then on.

Choosing to remain anonymous, the victim also told Fox 5 New York that she believes Chacon was working with two younger women meant to distract her, who can be seen on video. She alleges that one woman distracted her in the produce section while another stole her wallet.

"There was an elderly lady who kept rubbing up against me," the woman said. "Supposedly she drops something on the floor. That was her way of trying to make like she was doing something, so she could reach into my purse."

"When I looked up, lifted my body, that's when I noticed my purse was open. And I told my mother. I started screaming," the victim continued.

"I'm blaming myself for not being aware," she added.

Chacon is charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree and was arrested for the same crime in 2000 and 2001.

This is considered a Class E felony in the state of New York and is punishable by up to four years in prison. The time between her previous crime and current alleged crime could save Chacon from facing a mandatory minimum of one and a half years in prison.

While crime in New York City was down by over 5% year over year in February 2023, March 2023 saw virtually no difference at +0.1%. However, there were 30 fewer shooting incidents compared to March 2022, 85 compared to 115.

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