Local News in Brief : ‘Yuppie Panhandlers’ Enter Guilty Pleas
A pair of con artists dubbed the “Yuppie Panhandlers” pleaded guilty Tuesday in Van Nuys Superior Court to stealing an elderly woman’s wallet containing $1,000.
Jeffrey Dwayne Allman, 31, pleaded guilty to a charge of grand theft and Tracy Chris Hartland, 24, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the theft on June 26 in which Allman grabbed the wallet belonging to Anne Hitt, 69, of Reseda.
On Monday, the two were sentenced to jail for a scam in which they posed as a young married couple down on their luck. Authorities said they defrauded more than 300 Good Samaritans out of sums ranging from $10 to $100 over the last three years by pretending they were stranded out-of-towners who needed money for food and auto repairs.
Hitt was standing outside a Reseda restaurant when Allman approached her, saying his car had been burglarized and that he and his pregnant wife needed $30, according to court records. As Hitt handed over $10, Allman asked for more, then grabbed the wallet.
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