A thief’s plans to sell a Hasid’s stolen sable-fur hat backfired when he failed to notice that the owner’s name and phone number were marked inside, police said.
Robert Giuff, 38, tried to sell the religious hat, known as a shtreimel, to a hat maker for $350 on Sunday after he stole it out of owner Moishe Horowitz’s car in Bushwick, Brooklyn, police said.
The hat was worth about $2,200.
But the dealer, spotting the phone number inside, told the would-be seller that he needed to call an expert—and instead called the owner.
When Horowitz was reached, he said someone had broken into his car overnight, according to court documents. The accused topper-taker was arrested and charged with grand larceny.
“I got a call from the hat store,” said Horowitz, 36, who immediately called the cops. “So I ran over right away. I felt very relieved.”
“My client says he found it next to garbage on the street,” said defense lawyer Adrian Lesher.
Giuff, who has seven prior misdemeanors and is currently in a court-mandated drug program, was ordered held on $5,000 bail.
A shtreimel, mainly worn by married men, can cost more than $5,000 and is the most expensive piece of Hasidic clothing.