The game is over for “Soccer Guy,” a thief who picks the pockets of Japanese men by distracting them with his fancy footwork, New York police say.
Ben-Msyly Gil-Elie, 29, was arrested Jan. 23 and charged with multiple counts of grand larceny after police witnessed his act.
“I’m not a soccer fan, but he was very convincing,” Sgt. James Molloy said. “We observed an individual literally dancing around. He actually placed his hand inside this individual’s pocket, but the complainant pushed him away.”
Molloy said 15 or 16 men have reported being victims of the scam since October.
“He would approach Japanese males and asked them certain questions, like `Where’s Fifth Avenue?’ ” Molloy said. If the men spoke English, the victims got drawn into a conversation. The suspect pulled out a telephone calling card with a picture of popular soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata. Nakata, who plays for an Italian soccer team, is a huge star in Italy and Japan.
“He would pretend like he was playing soccer, kicking around their shins, circling, bumping, circling, bumping, all the while feeling where they kept their wallets,” Molloy said.
