Macy's shopper cleared of arrest she said wrongful (Venezuelan)
Macy's shopper cleared of arrest she said wrongful
By JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press | March 31, 2014 | Updated: March 31, 2014 8:43pm
NEW YORK (AP) — A Venezuelan tourist who said she was wrongfully accused of shoplifting at Macy's flagship store was acquitted Monday in a case that came to light amid concerns that shoppers were being racially profiled at prominent New York stores, her lawyer said.
A judge cleared Maria Paez, who said she was just carrying items around the store when she put them in a Macy's bag during a Sept. 12 trip. She soon found herself handcuffed, held in a store detention cell for hours, and pressed to sign a confession and pay $500, while her 12-year-old son waited in the store uninformed of where she was, according to her attorney, Daniel Hochheiser.
Court records weren't immediately available Monday evening, and Manhattan district attorney's office representatives had no immediate information on the case. Paez faced misdemeanor charges that carried the potential for up to three months in jail.
Paez, whose family owns real estate and a pet-food company in Venezuela, maintains that Macy's security guards targeted her because she spoke Spanish and had words with an impolite fitting-room attendant.
More:
http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Macy-s-shopper-cleared-of-arrest-she-said-wrongful-5365195.php
[center]http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/654*368/maycs+lawsuit+shopper+maritz+hernandez.jpg
Maria Paez, Macy's Venezuelan shopper[/center]
