DETROIT — A former Oakland County resident is facing 25 years in prison if convicted for allegedly making more than $1 million in unauthorized charges using comedian Kevin Hart's credit cards.
Dylan Syer, 29, was hired by the "Ride Along" star in 2015 as a personal shopper through his business, Sire Consulting, to purchase several luxury items for Hart. Using Hart's cards, authorities say, Syer instead spent nearly $1.2 million on fine art and jewelry.
Syer was arraigned Wednesday on a 10-count indictment charging him with grand larceny in the first and second degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the first and second degree, identity theft in the first degree and scheme to defraud in the first degree, according to the district attorney in New York.
“The defendant thought he was beyond reach and was living out his uber-rich lifestyle fantasies," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in an announcement Wednesday. "But my team uncovered the bogus purchases — from the credit card charges being processed by the bank, down to tracking FedEx packages delivered to Syer’s home and business. This should serve as a cautionary tale for everyone. Regardless of whether you are a celebrity or not, anyone can fall victim to this kind of fraud."
Syer, who resides in Long Island City, New York, lived in different Oakland County cities and appears to have attended Michigan State University.
According to the district attorney's office, here's how Syer's scheme worked:
Syer used his business credit card processing account to make charges on Hart's credit card, and once those charges were processed by Syer's bank, the money went into his checking account.
Over the course of 19 months, from October 2017 through February 2019, Syer charged about $923,000 on Hart's credit cards and bought $240,000 in jewelry and watches in purchases unauthorized by Hart.
Syer's Instagram profile is littered with designer items, including Dior and Louis Vuitton, and studded with watches worth hundreds of thousands — from the iconic Rolex to the otherworldly Audemars Piguet. His travels are often and far, stops in Morocco, Switzerland and Monaco, and his friends are in high places, rubbing elbows with professional athletes like the Houston Rockets' DeMarcus Cousins.
One post is a photo of a blue Dior logo sweater, that retails for upward of $2,000, next to some Christian Dior and Nike Air Jordan Calfskin Mens Oblique low sneakers that reach up to $10,000. Another post shows three watches, two Patek Philippe and one Audemars Piguet, captioned, "Quarter ticket on my wrist."
In addition to fine jewelry and Swiss watches, Syer was also an avid art collector. Among his unauthorized purchases was a Sam Friedman painting, at least 16 Bearbrick collectible dolls, 5 KAWS collectible dolls.
In addition to criminal charges, Syer is also subjected to an asset forfeiture up to the amount that he allegedly stole. New York investigators executed a search warrant of Syer's home where they seized approximately $250,000 worth of cash and goods.
Syer is being held at the Eric M. Taylor prison in Bronx, New York. His next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
