NY socialite faces 2nd Conn. shoplifting charge

[July 26, 2011]  NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- A New York socialite charged last month with stealing an $11,000 fur scarf from a Connecticut store has been charged with stealing a second pricey scarf from the same shop.

Beata Boman surrendered Sunday on a fifth-degree larceny charge accusing her of stealing a $725 Loro Piana scarf from Richards of Greenwich. She was released on $500 bond and is due back in court Aug. 1.

Store personnel discovered the theft when they reviewed surveillance cameras after her earlier arrest on a felony charge of first-degree larceny, police said.

Boman, a self-described former model and fashion designer who was born in Poland, made news in 2008 when she was photographed with Prince Andrew in the southern French resort town of St. Tropez.

Attorney Mark Sherman said the 38-year-old Boman hasn't been the same since she had brain surgery and is seeking intensive therapy. He described her as ashamed and remorseful.

Sherman said after her original arrest that she was distracted in the store because she was on the phone. The new charge, he said, "definitely changes the dynamics of our defense."

Sherman said he would still apply for a program for first-time offenders that calls for probation and dropping charges if the participant is not arrested again.

[Associated Press; By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.