Corruption
Female Cat Burglar Steals Presents From Under Robert De Niro’s Tree While He sleeps Upstairs
Robert De Niro’s Upper East Side home was broken into last night by a 30 year old cat burglar.
The bold move was made by Shanice Aviles, who filled bags up with the presents from under De Niro’s Christmas tree while he slept peacefully upstairs.
Surprisingly, Shanice Aviles was already being followed by NYPD officers in the early morning hours around 3am when she broke into De Niro’s large seven-bedroom, East 65th Street luxury townhouse.
Aviles, who has been arrested 26 times before, was already wanted for s string of other burglaries.
They found Aviles trying to steal De Niro’s gifts and put them in a bag. According to ABC7 she was also using the actor’s iPad.
De Niro, 79, awoke to the noise and came downstairs in his bathrobe to witness the commotion.
Up until that point, the NYPD officers had no idea that they had just interrupted a burglary at the actor’s residence. It is unclear if Aviles knew that she had broken into Robert De Niro’s home.
This is just another failed example of the ‘catch and release’ system that New York City has adopted, sources told the New York Post.
De Niro, who was at home with his daughter at the time, has not commented on the break in.
A representative for De Niro acknowledged the incident, but did not provide further information.
“We are not making any statement at this time regarding the robbery at the temporary rental home of Robert De Niro,” Stan Rosenfield, a spokesperson for the actor, told USA TODAY.
The actor split from his second wife Grace Hightower in 2021. The pair share an 11-year-old daughter.