A South Florida stylist is facing a first-degree felony after police accused him of keeping luxury items belonging to social media influencer Stormy Wellington, including Hermès Birkin bags that investigators say were pawned at an Aventura resale business.
Shaquille Jaray Palmer, 33, was arrested Oct. 2. A Miramar Police arrest report places the approximate total loss at $187,360.80, including five Hermès Birkin bags, a Chanel water bottle and two Chanel handbags Wellington later reported missing.
Wellington told police she had known Palmer for about seven years, considered him a friend and employed him with access to her Miramar home. She said he was authorized to take one or two designer handbags for professional cleaning, but she had not given him permission to remove additional property.
Palmer’s arrest came after Miramar police acknowledged that another man named Shaquille had been arrested by mistake in the same investigation. Broward County court records now list an active first-degree felony grand theft case against Palmer.
Missing Birkins Were Traced to an Aventura Luxury Business
Wellington told Miramar police that on Aug. 3 she discovered five Hermès Birkin bags and a Chanel water bottle missing from her closet.
Her assistant created a social media post on Aug. 11 seeking help finding the missing property. According to the police report, the handbags were subsequently located after being advertised on Instagram by Cashing Diamonds, an Aventura luxury-goods business.
The assistant contacted Cashing Diamonds on Aug. 17. According to the arrest report, an employee said Palmer had brought the handbags to the business, represented them as his own and used them to obtain a loan. The employee also said Palmer later defaulted on that loan.
Police later interviewed another person associated with the business. According to the arrest report, he told detectives Palmer had pawned a total of four to five Hermès Birkin handbags. Palmer had defaulted on the loan and was notified in June that the bags would be used as collateral and eventually sold, the report says.
Palmer Promised to Return Five Bags by August 20, Police Say
Officers contacted Palmer on Aug. 17. According to the arrest report, he acknowledged having possession of five Hermès Birkin handbags and said he would return them by Aug. 20.
Police said none of those items had been returned by Oct. 2.
When Palmer met with investigators that day, he confirmed that he had known Wellington for about seven years and said he had taken luxury handbags to have them “serviced and cleaned.”
Palmer described two groups of bags. He said four bags from the first group had been serviced and returned within about four months. The second group consisted of five luxury handbags that had not been returned.
According to the report, Palmer claimed those five bags had been taken with Wellington’s permission approximately eight to 12 months earlier and had already been serviced and were ready for pickup.
Police Say Palmer Blamed a ‘Smear Campaign’ for Withholding the Bags
The arrest report says Palmer told investigators he was aware that the five bags had a combined retail value exceeding $100,000.
Police said Palmer acknowledged intentionally not returning the handbags because of what he described as a “Smear Campaign” that had damaged his reputation. When detectives asked when he planned to return the property, the report says he could not provide a timeframe.
Investigators also questioned Palmer about the handbags being placed on consignment or pawned. According to the report, he then declined to answer specific questions about that part of the investigation without an attorney present.
Palmer denied possessing the Chanel water bottle and the two additional Chanel handbags later reported missing.
Two More Chanel Bags Raised the Reported Total to $187,360.80
The Miramar arrest report itemizes the original missing property as a red Hermès valued at $26,450.40, a black Hermès at $35,000, a green Hermès at $26,450.40, a Nipsey Blue Hermès at $30,000, a Burgundy Python Hermès at $47,460 and a Chanel water bottle at $9,000.
Those six items produced an original reported total of $174,360.80.
During an Oct. 1 interview, Wellington reported two additional missing Chanel handbags: one Classic Red Chanel and one Classic Black Chanel, each valued at $6,500. The police report lists the approximate total loss after those additions at $187,360.80.
The report’s probable-cause narrative alleges Palmer knowingly obtained property belonging to Wellington with the intent to temporarily or permanently deprive her of it. It also notes that photographs, video, documentation and receipts supporting the reported values were uploaded into police evidence.
The Wrong Shaquille Was Arrested First
Before Palmer was taken into custody, Miramar police arrested 31-year-old Shaquille Grant on Sept. 30 in connection with the same grand theft investigation.
Grant’s attorney told a judge that he knew nothing about the case. Police subsequently determined that Grant was not the person investigators intended to arrest.
Miramar police later said Palmer had provided a different last name, which led to Grant’s Sept. 30 arrest, according to WSVN. Police Chief Delrish Moss had previously said the wrong surname appeared on a “Not in Custody” document used in the arrest process.
Police worked with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Broward State Attorney’s Office to drop the case against Grant and secure his release, according to WSVN.
Palmer was taken into custody Oct. 2. WSVN reported that his bond was set at $150,000 when he appeared in court following the arrest.
Court Record Shows an Active First-Degree Felony Case
The Broward court record lists Palmer’s case as 26011817CF10A. It was filed Oct. 3 and remained active when the record was printed Oct. 4.
The clerk’s record lists one charge of first-degree grand theft, an Oct. 2 offense and arrest date and Miramar Police as the filing agency. It identifies the case as a first-degree felony and shows no disposition.
Florida’s theft statute classifies theft of property valued at $100,000 or more as first-degree grand theft. A first-degree felony is generally punishable by up to 30 years in prison under the state’s sentencing statute. Those are statutory maximums, not a sentence imposed in Palmer’s case.
The charge against Palmer remains an allegation. The Broward court record does not show a conviction or final disposition.