New York: The Case of the $99 Raincoat

The shopper at Manhattan’s Alexander’s department store tried on a $99.95 raincoat, according to a store detective, then ripped off the price tags and headed for the exit. The would-be shoplifter? None other than Iran’s United Nations Ambassador Said Rajaie-Khorassani. Diplomatic immunity ruled out prosecution, but instead of quietly dropping the matter, the store reported the incident, which took place on May 7, to New York City police last week. The indignant Iranian ambassador thereupon called a press conference at which he insisted that he had merely been searching for a three-way mirror to see if the coat fit.