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In his 2019 Netflix comedy special Irresponsible, Kevin Hart said, “I’m gonna be honest with you guys, I don’t really like having company over my house. The reason why is because my house got robbed. Whenever your house gets robbed, it messes with you mentally.”
Well, if that statement still holds, then Hart’s going to be one reclusive funnyman in dire need of a therapist. For a little more than a year and a half, from October 2017 through February 2019, Dylan Jason Syer used his access as Hart’s personal shopper to fraudulently drain $1.2 million from Hart and then deposit that money into his own account.
But Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz certainly was not laughing when she slapped Syer with a ten-count indictment. Some of the charges against the 29-year-old Long Island City, NY resident include grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and identity theft.
Hart initially hired Syer in 2015 to be his personal shopper, and Syer used that trust to deceive the comedian two years later into their arrangement. Syer began processing unauthorized purchases on Hart’s credit cards and laundered the funds to himself. He then used the money to feed his very expensive taste.
Along with finding $250,000 in cash at Syer’s apartment, he’d also purchased various collectible items like a Sam Friedman painting, two Louis Vuitton Bandouliere bags, and at least five Patek Phillippe watches valued at approximately $400,000 in total. The excitement of it all may have been too much for Syer to contain, though, and he started showing off photos of some of the items on his public Instagram page.
If Syer is found guilty of the charges against him, he can be sentenced to a maximum of twenty-five years in prison. All of Syer’s assets were seized to return all the stolen funds and property to their rightful owners. However, as far as Katz is concerned, any financial restitution won’t be enough.
“I want to send a strong message to the defendant and others who seek financial gain through the victimization of others, that my team and I are committed to aggressively pursuing these actions and separating those who commit crimes from their ill-gotten gains, and returning those funds, where practical, to support the victims.”
Hopefully, Hart doesn’t let this terrible experience steal too much of his humor.
