NYC: Stolen Red Epic-W Package #2143 and Angenieux Optimo

[Riley Nightingale]

UPDATE: Original police were wrong. This falls under Grand Larceny, a Class C felony under NY State Penal Code 155.40. I had to figure this out myself, and walk into the police station with a printout of the penal code. I have arrest warrants out for both these individuals.

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I discovered the hard way today that the police won't handle theft via "voluntary parting" aka a renter who just decides to keep the camera as they see it as a a breach of contact which falls under civil law. Kinda wild, I had no idea it was just that easy to rip someone off. I was told that my only recourse was civil suit...right. Long story short, they rented from me with with a complicated scheme to obscure what was going on until arranging dropoff at which point they just didn't return it. The feeling I was left with in hindsight is that they do this all the time. If anyone has any advice, experience, or wisdom to share with me, I would be greatly appreciative. I have insurance which covers voluntary parting, however I would much rather just get my kit back.


Here is a list of what was lost and serial numbers:
RED Epic-W #2143
Angenieux Optimo 30-80mm f/2.8 #2053773
Dual RED Charger #S0937533
RED Brick 153wh #0329033
RED Brick 153wh #0335233
RED AC Adapter NA
RED Mini Mag 120GB #750130269AE5
RED Mini Mag 512GB #7501302B9DFA
RED Mini Mag Case NA
RED Station Mini-Mag #RMMIN03970
RED DSMC EF Mount #7251302F4AE5
RED DSMC2 Standard OLPF NA
RED DSMC2 Base I/O V-Lock Expander #7201302B7AE8
RED DSMC2 Touch 4.7" LCD #7301302C6DAE
Wooden Camera Top Handle NA
Wooden Camera Easy Riser (RED) NA
Wooden Camera LW 15mm Bracket (RED) NA
Wooden Camera RED DSMC PL Mount NA
Pelican 1535 Air Trekpak Case NA
Wooden Camera A-Box NA


All items have "Nightingale Productions / derek.r.means@gmail.com" white background, black print tags, including cables. I'm sure most have been peeled off, but some are in non-obvious places when the camera is broken down.

The names of the individuals who rented my camera and never returned it are Shannon Henderson and Steven Joyner. I've attached their ID's for name / photo recognition.

 

[Kwan Khan]

SAD story (these two names are in my watch-list)

This scam has become more common lately and the small business takes the hit from the fraudsters. Can’t even get help from big financial companies or their government and If you contact FBI they only get involve with scams over $200,000

I stop renting my Gears in 2013 when stupid guy tried with my Epic-X... I put him on the right place and he still doing time (not coming out until 2020).
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?98280-HE-STOLE-MY-EPIC-X

Sad

 

[Tim Bonython]

God, they look like crims too. I know the feeling when you get camera raped like that. Its the worst.!

 

[Cedric Gall]

What the hell do you mean they look like criminals too?
They look black.
Shit, the first guy's in a suit, what's so "crim" about that?

Yeah, they're both assholes and I hope they get caught, but there's nothing bout them that looks criminal to me at first sight.

 

[C.H.Haskell]

Sorry to hear...dealing with the same thing. Does not look like a NY state ID I ever owned but could be old. Good luck in recovering.

 

[Adam Rook]

God, they look like crims too. I know the feeling when you get camera raped like that. Its the worst.!

What the frick does that mean??? How does someone "look" criminal? They look like two dudes you'd see anywhere.

Now that my rant is over... I'm keeping my eyes peeled for anything that might show up. I'm sorry to hear about this man. I really do hope and pray you get your gear back. "Voluntary Parting" what a joke. There needs to be stricter laws regarding rental houses. This crap seems to be getting more prevalent. If I see or hear anything I'll certainly let ya know.

 

[bart cortright]

Sorry to hear...dealing with the same thing. Does not look like a NY state ID I ever owned but could be old. Good luck in recovering.

that's the new style. mine looks like same.

 

[Fahnon Bennett]

God, they look like crims too. I know the feeling when you get camera raped like that. Its the worst.!

Ugh... I suppose I'd "look like a criminal" to this person, too. Post racial, huh? Wish I could say I'm surprised by comments like this, but I guess I'm not.

Anywho to the OP, I was just talking to the owner of my usual rental house (Duall Camera) and he was telling me about a long drawn out deal with a theft of Red gear. Glad you had the proper insurance in place because from the horror stories I've heard, that's a much faster route to getting up and running than recovery through law enforcement. Still, I hope these fucktards get caught and go to jail.

 

[L. Langer]

Assuming the name on the ID isn't fake, and I don't know if it is/isn't, Scuzzball 1 hangs out around the Brooklyn area. I got no current address cause he's all over the damn board, but he's lived there and has family there. He seems to be quite the migrant and has been up and down the East Coast, which is not uncommon for individuals who engage in criminal activity. I found a half-assed LinkedIn profile with the same name, claiming to be the VP of Enrollment at Brooklyn College and another one for another "college". Looks like his Facebook was shut down/locked-down, but I did find his relatives easily. The only apparent connection he has to the industry is a relative, Neisha Joyner, who works for the NYFA as a registrar coordinator. I haven't found anything useful on the second Scuzzball.

 

[Riley Nightingale]

I have Steven's current address. Police are on the way there now. Would you mind sending me those links you found?

 

[Keith Brooks]

That sucks ,and is the reason I am very leery of renting my gear. There needs to be an efficient way to track via gps or rfid pings. I hope you recover your gear.

 

[Akin A]

God, they look like crims too. I know the feeling when you get camera raped like that. Its the worst.!

Can you explain what part of their IDs make them look like "crims"? I don't see an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. I see a suit and tie on one of the men.
I live in NYC too, so if you have the ability to spot crims in advance, share the secret, so we can watch our gear around them.
Thanks.

 

[Andy Roberts]

I think any non-smiling ID of any race looks like a criminal photo because it has similar characteristics of a booking mug shot.

 

[Tim Daust]

judging anyone's criminal activity on any ID photo is impossible. judging them based on a background check of said identification. that is another story.

I always check social media on everyone who doesn't have "history" or "reviews" on sharegrid. Even if they do have good reviews it's always better to do your own "background" check on anyone asking for your gear. Specifically, I look for common friends and businesses we are affiliated with and if very few are found, then I look for clues to legitimize their roles in the film/tv industry.

Derek - I Really hope you get your gear back. Good luck ! at least your insurance will cover it if you need to file a claim.

 

[Riley Nightingale]

I've now discovered that Shannon does work on set. If anyone has any info on this individual please contact me directly.

 

[emil_h]

Ok, so looks like I got lucky and found your thief!

Apparently, he had a court date today! Definitely contact NYPD and his lawyer :smash:

 

[Riley Nightingale]

Ok, so looks like I got lucky and found your thief!

Apparently, he had a court date today! Definitely contact NYPD and his lawyer :smash:

What are you, some kind of wizard? Thanks so much. Joyner is the one I'm less worried the police being able to find as the address on his id is 100% his home address. Shannon however, I have not yet found.

 

[emil_h]

What are you, some kind of wizard? Thanks so much. Joyner is the one I'm less worried the police being able to find as the address on his id is 100% his home address. Shannon however, I have not yet found.

Ha growing up in NYC has forced me to look up friends in the court system a little too often :shocked:

Anyways one guy will help lead you to the other!

 

[Riley Nightingale]

Totally seems possible, depending on how tight they are.

 

[emil_h]

Definitely. I'm having a hard time reading Shannon's ID. The image is very small. If you re-upload it I'll see if I can find anything about him as well