Un-Special Delivery, Flowers C.O.D.

An 80-year-old woman was robbed of $75,000 by two men posing as flower delivery guys more than a week ago. The two men fooled the Lower East Side woman into letting them into her apartment by telling her they had a floral delivery for her, showing her a dozen roses. They then bound her with tape and ransacked her apartment. Connie Nieves said the thieves made off with her and her husband's life savings.

The reason Nieves had that much money squirreled away in her apartment is that she and her husband were planning on opening a restaurant. She suspects that the men were sent by someone at a neighborhood bakery, where her husband had talked about their plans and the cash he was keeping at home. $60,00 was earmarked by the couple to start their new restaurant and $15,000 was reserved to pay of Nieves' funeral expenses.

Mike Rodrigues, who is Nieve's 65-year-old husband, returned home while police were questioning the traumatized woman. She promptly started berating him for not putting their money in a bank. "It seems like a lie. I can't feel safe in my apartment."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Dave Hogarty in News on November 11, 2007 10:30 AM

Comments [rss]

3304Mary

Here are the facts as researched: Mrs. Nieves is an 80 year old woman who is living with here common law husband Mike Rodrigues. That is the reason for the mix up in the statement listing him as a boyfriend/husband. Mrs. Nieves is an invalid and cannot leave the house. Her having the money at home was a convenience since was planning her funeral arrangements. The reason Mr. Rodrigues had the money at home was because he was planning on starting a business with the bakery as a addition to the restaurant. As for the criminals, they overheard the business plans and as criminals do, they took the info and ran with it. I intereviewed Mrs. Nieves and she is despondent, nervous and quite shaken up by this event. This can happen to any of us. Remember, there but the grace of God, go I.

angry_pickle

Given their age, most likely both are hard of hearing so they probably were shouting this information out at the bakery.

ihateallbrokers

HHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

LOL!

OMG!

ROTF!

babyhitler

so what was the point of registering if everyone is still racist? now it's worse cause the racists actually have screen names instead of anonymous. thanks alot jake dobkin.

nyc320

they weren't black.

but you ARE a moron.

c00n

Gee, two subhuman male negroes pose as deliverymen preying on weak unsuspecting senior citizens? What a shocker. Not. At least they didn't punch the old lady in the face multiple times then make their getaway on a pink kids tricycle.

Why are blacks such animals?

kswissreject

so they had the money at the home because they planned on opening a restaurant? how would that justify it? it's unlawful to have it in a bank because you're opening a restaurant? and then to go tell *anyone* about the money at home? geez.

mithras the prophet

...where her husband had talked about their plans...
Mike Rodrigues, who is Nieve's 65-year-old boyfriend, ...

She has a husband and a boyfriend? Quite the sporting type!