Woman charged after allegedly attempting to steal Christmas gifts from Robert De Niro's home
Natalie Neysa AlundPolice in New York City formally charged a woman who allegedly broke into Robert De Niro's home earlier this week and tried to steal presents from under his Christmas tree.
Shanice Aviles, 30, of NYC, is charged with burglary in connection to the break-in which took place Monday morning at De Niro's rental home in the Upper East Side, a New York Police Department spokesperson told USA TODAY Wednesday morning.
According to police, at about 2:45 a.m., members of the department's 19th Precinct observed a woman "known from numerous burglary arrests" enter the residence.
Officers had been tracking the woman they said was known for a string of burglaries in the area, and saw her break into “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas” star’s home.
The woman, the spokesperson said, entered the 79-year-old actor's home through a basement door which had visible signs of forced entry.
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De Niro, who had been upstairs, came down to the living room as the woman was being arrested.
When police entered the home, they found the woman in the living room “attempting to remove property” and took her into custody without incident, the spokesperson said.
A representative for De Niro acknowledged the incident and arrest to USA TODAY, but did not provide details about the case.
According to court records, a judge set Aviles’ bail at $40,000 the day after she was taken into custody. She is slated to return to court on the case Friday.
De Niro has appeared in dozens of other critically acclaimed films over the past five decades, including “Taxi Driver,” “The Irishman,” “Meet the Parents” and “A Bronx Tale.”
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.