Woman sent to prison for Saratoga Springs shoplifting

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

A Brooklyn woman with an extensive shoplifting history was sentenced to state prison Monday for stealing from a downtown Saratoga Springs shop.

Tracy Adams, 50, was sentenced to 11⁄3 to 4 years in prison during an appearance Monday before acting Saratoga County Court Judge Matthew J. Sypniewski. She also must pay $1,700 in restitution.

It was the maximum possible sentence after Adams was convicted by a trial jury in April of fourth-degree grand larceny for stealing more than $1,000 in merchandise from Saratoga Saddlery on Broadway.

Adams was acquitted of third-degree grand larceny, which would have required that the value of the stolen items be more than $3,000.

“Clearly Judge Sypniewski recognized that state prison was the only sentence befitting this defendant and her conduct,” said District Attorney Karen A. Heggen.

Adams and co-defendant Tyrone Moore disguised themselves in wigs, makeup and floor-length coats to go into Saratoga Saddlery, an upscale Broadway clothing and gift store, on Jan. 13, 2014. While Moore distracted a clerk, Adams removed items from racks and stuffed them quickly into pouches in her dress and coat, then the two quickly left the store.

The actions were caught on a security video, according to trial testimony.

The pair were arrested four days later in Massachusetts after attempting a similar crime there. Police in Randolph, Massachusetts, saw surveillance footage Saratoga Saddlery owner Sabine Rodgers had posted on Facebook and contacted Saratoga police.

A GPS device found in their vehicle also showed it has been in Saratoga Springs four days earlier. During the trial, a store clerk identified Adams as one of the thieves.

Adams has 35 prior convictions under various aliases, according to Heggen, though this was her first felony conviction. “The defendant is a career criminal,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum.

Moore pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Saratoga County Court last year and was sentenced to four months in jail. He is now being held in Massachusetts awaiting resolution of the charges against him there.