Thelma and Louise? How about Alexa and Robin!
Alexa Johzen Polar, 34, (a paralegal) and Robin Antonella Pabello, 33 (a school teacher), two L.A. roommates who were deeply in debt but had a taste for travel and the high life, went on a desperate spending spree fueled by forgery. It only lasted a few weeks, but for a while these ladies lived like queens. Now they’re getting a taste of how much stolen money actually costs.
On November 16, a check for $285,000 was deposited in a joint bank account the two women shared. The funds allegedly originated from a check originally made out for $19,500 to Polar’s law firm Rose Carson Kaplan Choi & White. They reportedly altered the check to make it out to Robin Pabello, and changed the amount to $285,000. In a taunting twist, they are now being held on bail of $285,000 each for charges of two felony counts of forgery, one felony count of grand theft, and one felony count of grand theft by embezzlement each. They face a maximum sentence of 6 years and 4 months in jail.
Before the pair were caught, they had put down a $133,000 down payment on a $3.7 million mansion Murietta, CA. Even with the stolen cash, they still couldn’t afford a house like that, but “Cypress Police Det. Greg Faessel said investigators believe the women wanted to rent the 11,000-square-foot Murrieta mansion during the escrow process and ‘live like kings during the holidays.'”
They also chartered a $30,000 flight to NYC with some friends, where they stayed in five luxury hotel suites on Times Square, and spent lavishly at Tiffany’s and Montblanc (a store that sells luxury pens and other accessories.)
Their theft was discovered while they were still vacationing in NYC. This issuing bank rejected the check that the receiving bank processed. Their account was frozen, and they were forced to return to L.A. Their lawyer Anthony Falangetti says he still hasn’t seen any evidence against his clients. They have both pleaded not guilty to forgery and grand theft.
Despite their claims of innocence, things aren’t looking very good for the pair. Can you imagine the tricks your brain would have to play in order to enjoy an easily traceable forgery?
Here are some photos from their trip from Robin Pabello’s Facebook:
Flyin in style (in their chartered plane:)
NYC Partaaaay:
