Who is Doris Payne? Notorious 86-year-old jewelry thief arrested in Georgia

Doris Payne, a notorious international jewelry thief, was arrested Tuesday at an upscale shopping mall in Georgia. Payne was reportedly caught stealing a $ 2,000 diamond necklace from Von Maur at Perimeter Mall, just north of Atlanta. In an email to The Associated Press, Dunwoody Police spokesman Mark Stevens said Payne put the collar in his back pocket and attempted to leave the store before being apprehended.

Its flight history spans five decades and two countries. She has been arrested more than 20 times for shoplifting in various countries around the world, including France, Switzerland, Great Britain and Greece.

Just over a year ago, Payne was arrested and released for stealing a pair of $ 700 earrings from Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta. During the trial for this particular arrest, Payne’s attorney said she was too ill to appear in court, according to reports.

Payne, who was the subject of Netflix’s The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne documentary, is said to have started stealing when she was a teenager. During a 2014 prison interview with The Desert Sun, Payne said she first started stealing watches to help her mother get out of an abusive relationship. However, she said her thirst for shoplifting continued as she got older and helped her maintain a more glamorous lifestyle than the one she experienced growing up in West Virginia.

In early 2016, Payne told The Associated Press that she “was a thief.” She is said to have had over 20 aliases and most likely got away with more shoplifting crimes than she has been arrested and charged for over the years. The Associated Press reported that Payne had been indicted in six cases in Southern California alone, dating back to 1999. Industry trade group Jeweler’s Security Alliance sent out warning bulletins with Payne’s photo on them from the 1970s.