A California politician was arrested for shoplifting items from a Neiman Marcus store in San Francisco and charged with felony grand theft, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The paper said Democratic Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi of Castro Valley was caught on surveillance cameras allegedly stealing more than $2,000 in goods from Neiman Marcus in Union Square.
Hayashi, nee Chung, was the first Korean American woman to be elected to the California Legislature.
Hayashi, 45, who has served in the Assembly since 2006 — and is married to Alameda Superior Court Judge Dennis Hayashi — was arraigned Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court. She had earlier posted $15,000 bail. Hayashi was stopped by Neiman Marcus’ security detail shortly after leaving the store around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday with a shopping bag that included three items worth $2,450 that she hadn’t paid for when she checked out at the register, the district attorney’s office said.
Prosecutors did not specify what the items were, but a source familiar with the case tells us they were leather pants, a black skirt and white blouse.
Hayashi was arraigned on Thursday and pleaded not guilty. The politician’s spokesman Sam Singer said the arrest was a mistake and that Hayashi walked out of the store with the clothes unintentionally and planned to go back.
Hayashi is “distraught by this misunderstanding,” Singer said, “and she believes this will be clear up in the near future.’’ He added, “She apologizes for any misunderstandings.’’
Hayashi is due back in court on Nov. 15.
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