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Police: Woman Made Up Michigan Avenue Robbery Story

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 17, 2013 1:30PM

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Image credit: Forewer/Shutterstock.com
Well that was much ado about nothing. The story of the woman who was robbed of $100,000 worth of jewelry on Michigan Avenue, reported here and elsewhere, turned out to be "unfounded," according to Chicago Police.

A statement released by the Police Department Thursday night said the 68-year-old woman had "inconsistencies between her account of the incident and recovered video, and learned that the story was not true."

The woman claimed she was accosted by 10 to 12 African American men at noon in front of Saks Fifth Avenue Wednesday, who robbed her of $100,000 in jewelry and other belongings, the prized possession being a diamond-encrusted, leaf-shaped pin surrounded by black onyx, valued at $50,000. In interviews with the Tribune and other outlets, the woman claimed the incident wouldn't stop her from shopping on the Mag Mile.

Probably because it didn't happen.

There's enough egg to be scattered across faces, including us, for writing about the story, and in hindsight the inconsistencies in the woman's story were so obvious they should have been questioned before police spoke with her. Not to mention the woman decided to use the mobs of wilding teens along Michigan Avenue to stoke more fears with her story.

The Tribune reports that police are uncertain whether they'll file charges against the woman for filing a false police report at this time.