A 21-year-old fashion model was nabbed for stealing more than $1 million in high-end designer merchandise from an upscale SoHo retailer — then released without bail.
Abdallah Diaby was arrested Thursday and charged in an early morning, caught-on-video heist at the ritzy 4Gseller boutique on Spring Street on Dec. 1, when cops said four masked crooks broke in and made off with 20 St. Laurent designer jackets, 30 handbags, 20 belts and other ritzy goods.
Diaby was linked to the break-in through security camera footage, while the other three suspects remain on the loose, according to police and prosecutors.
In an interview after the heist, 4Gseller owner Tommy Macari said the crew of crooks appeared to have planned the heist well, sporting construction crew equipment and head lamps as a spotter and a getaway driver waited outside.
“Kind of like the movies, to be honest,” Macari said. “They took a lot of one of one, high-end merchandise. So, basically brands like Chrome Hearts and St. Laurent, a lot of custom pieces. They were just dropping them off the balcony and someone was running it to the car.
“They were in and out of the store in four and a half minutes, and they left, and 91 seconds later the NYPD was here,” he said.
According to a criminal complaint, the burglary began to unfold around 4:10 a.m. when a silver Ford SUV pulled up and three men wearing black clothing and construction vests got out with a ladder and climbed the scaffolding to break in, the complaint said.
The whole heist was caught on store security footage.
Diaby, who grew up in the Bronx, is no stranger to cameras — he is a fashion model who is represented by the Big Apple agency TWO MGMT, which boasts clients for high-end ads and catalogues.
The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
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Diaby was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday on charges of grand larceny, burglary and criminal possession of stolen property and released under supervision but without bail.
Non-violent crimes are not eligible for bail under the state’s controversial criminal justice statutes.
In court, he wore designer sneakers that go for up to $300 on the resale market.
Defense attorney Ollen argued against Diaby being under supervision after being released, noting that he left a modeling gig in California to return to the Big Apple to surrender to police.
“If he wanted to flee, he had a 300,000 mile head start,” Ollen said.
