Wait… whose granny is this??? šÆ
Meet 85-year old Doris ‘Diamond’ Payne. Payne posed for the mugshot above after being arrested trying to pocket a pair of earrings at Atlanta’s Phipps Plaza mall.
[FLASHBACK: Instagram Flexin’ Leads to Shoplifting Arrest… (15 Mugshots)]
While she looks innocent enough, Payne is actually a legendary international jewel thief and her career spans over six decades. Miss Doris has even been the subject of a documentary and rumor has it that a biopic is in the works that may star Halle Berry, as the geriatric jewel thief.
Details about Doris ‘Diamond’ Payne’s latest arrest below…
In the documentary, Doris revealed how she first learned her trademark distraction trick as a teenager when a store clerk eagerly ditched her when a white customer came in.
VIDEO: The Life & Times of Doris Payne (Trailer)
VIDEO: Masters of The Heist: Doris Payne
There has also been talk of a ‘Doris Payne’ biopic is in the works, which will feature Academy Award winner Halle Berry as the international jewelry thief.
Payne’s story is intriguing to say the least! Early on in her youth, Payne worked her way up from stealing bargain basement jewelry to some of the most expensive stores across the globe, hitting targets as far as Britain, France, Italy, Monaco and even Japan.
At 23, she walked out of a Pittsburgh jewelry store with a diamond valued at $22,000.
She developed a winning strategy – dressing nicely, carrying a designer handbag and arming herself with a detailed story – that she used to charm jewelry store employees.
Faced with a well-to-do woman with money to spend, store employees would relax their rules and bring out multiple high-value pieces at once, and Payne would quickly slip the expensive baubles on and off until the employee lost track and she could easily leave with one in hand.
Throughout the years, Miss Doris has been connected to at least 20 aliases, nine dates of birth, and five Social Security numbers. She’s been so brazen about her crimes that she once even gave her occupation as ‘jewel thief’ in court documents!
Payne’s international lifestyle has also come with a heavy price. Her U.S. rap sheet is over 20 pages long and she has an Interpol file dating back to the 70s.
She’s also served a slew of jail time, including a nearly five-year prison stint in Colorado.
Ten years ago, at the ripe age of 75, the geriatric thief swore she was done with her life of crime but old habits die hard.
[Sidebar: With such a lengthy criminal past, Payne is either the best criminal on earth or the worst! Sure she’s been busted a ton of times, but imagine how many times she got away! But I digress… ]
Miss Doris’ latest effort took her to Saks Fifth Avenue department store in Phipps Plaza (located in Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead neighborhood) and she got popped as she tried to pocket a pair of Dior earrings.
A store security guard watching surveillance video saw Payne enter a Christian Dior boutique inside the department store and pocket a $690 pair earrings from a standing shelf, according to police reports.
She was arrested in the mall and officers recovered the pricey earrings from her pocket
Payne is currently being held on shoplifting charges at Fulton County jail, and is also wanted for a similar offense by the sheriff’s office in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina.