S. Samuel
In a time where Gucci and Louis Vuitton reigns supreme, it appears a once-dominant clothing line is gaining mainstream attention courtesy of a robbery spree by the "Burberry Bank Bandit."
Already with double-digit robberies to his name, 21 year-old Cornell Nelly has made a name for himself as of late for his keen sense of style.
A serial bank robber wore Burberry during his spree across Manhattan — and then confessed after his arrest that he needed the cash to fuel his shopping addiction, law-enforcement sources told The Post. Cornell Neilly, 21, donned the designer duds for two of 14 alleged heists during a pattern that started in April and stretched from Harlem to Battery Park, netting him more than $8,500, the sources said. “He used the money to buy expensive clothes, $400 sneakers, a Burberry shirt,” said a source, adding that Neilly implicated himself in many of the heists. The plaid-clad perp — collared Tuesday after allegedly taking $1,155 from a Chase branch on Park Avenue — was charged last night with 14 bank jobs, authorities said. The sources said that in each holdup, Neilly passed a note to the teller, in most cases demanding cash in $50s and $100s. (New York Post)
Although successful in the robberies, Nelly is not too swift in spelling out his demands.
In 11 of his 13 New York bank-robbery notes, accused “Burberry Bandit” Cornell Neilly spelled the word “robbery” wrong, court documents claim. Neilly, 21, told cops he robbed a string of Manhattan banks in the last two months to feed his penchant for pricey clothes — and twice was caught on bank surveillance cameras wearing his prized $250 Burberry shirt while allegedly passing hand-scrawled robbery notes to tellers. On six occasions — in notes passed to tellers at two Chase banks, two HSBC banks, one Sovereign Bank and one Bank of America — the dapper dunce allegedly wrote, “THIS IS A ROBBY,” while on five other occasions — to tellers at one Atlantic Bank and four Chase banks — he allegedly announced, “THIS IS A ROBBRY.” (My Fox Philly)
Out of 13 robberies, he managed to correctly spell “robbery” only twice.
He allegedly managed to spell “robbery” correctly in two notes, one handed over at a Bank of America and another at an HSBC — although in the latter note, he specified that the teller give him “LOSE BILLS.” Neilly is accused of using some of the $8,500 he allegedly netted to buy $400 sneakers, his Burberry shirt and other expensive clothes. Prosecutors said he was picked out of a lineup by 12 witnesses and further tied to some of the banks by fingerprints. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail. (My Fox Twin Cities)
Back in 2002, Burberry was widely worn by rap stars like Ja Rule.
Just ask Rachel Johnson, the stylist for rapper Ja Rule, about some brands’ ambivalence toward hip-hop. She tried to borrow some clothes from a Burberry store in New York to dress him for an Esquire magazine shoot and says she was rebuffed. “They didn’t want him to wear their stuff,” she says. “People have this stigma with the urban community.” Burberry says it’s unaware of the exchange. Ja Rule went ahead and paid for the clothes. He has sported Burberry for a Teen People cover, the MTV Video Awards and hit videos. Other rap stars, including Lil’ Bow Wow, caught Burberry fever, as did many of Ja Rule’s fans. “I’d go places and people would say, ‘I got that, too, Rule’,” he says. Adds Johnson: “When I go into Burberry, I see young black kids from Brooklyn, from Harlem. Even if they are just buying a hat, it costs $200. Ja took Burberry to another whole level.” Burberry’s Los Angeles store now sends him exclusive gear, and he says the company thanked him in writing. (The Daily Beast)
Check out the Burberry Bank Bandit below:
