A notorious 86-year-old jewel thief has pleaded guilty to a felony shoplifting charge.
The charge stems from Doris Payne’s December arrest at a mall just outside Atlanta. Police said she put a $2,000 necklace in her back pocket and tried to leave a Von Maur department store.
READ MORE: Jewel thief Doris Payne arrested at Atlanta mall
WXIA-TV reports that Payne entered the plea Wednesday.
Payne was arrested at her home March 13 after failing to appear for an arraignment scheduled a week earlier. Payne’s lawyer explained to the judge that she was experiencing some medical issues but the judge still issued a warrant for her arrest.
“It’s nice to meet you,” DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Linda W. Hunter said during the sentencing process. “Unfortunately I wish I hadn’t met you under these circumstances.”
Despite her apparent excitement to meet Payne in person, Hunter sentenced the octogenarian to four months of house arrest and three years probation. Payne’s 30-day jail sentence was reduced to time already served.
Payne was also banned from entering all Von Maur jewelry stores and DeKalb County shopping malls.
“Hopefully I won’t see you again in the future … Good luck Ms. Payne,” Hunter said.
Payne is well known in the jewelry world. Authorities have said she’s stolen pricey jewels from stores around the world in an illicit career spanning six decades.
WATCH: ‘The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne’ chronicles woman’s six decades of stealing jewelry
Her story became so popular it inspired the nickname Granny Gem Thief and a documentary entitled The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.
The movie chronicles Payne’s crimes, including a daring escape, how she used sleight of hand, and the first time she took a piece of jewelry at the age of 10.
In 2013, Payne swore off stealing after being convicted and sentenced to two years in jail for stealing a $22,500 diamond-encrusted ring in Palm Desert, Calif.
She was released after three months due to overcrowding in the prison.
That pledge to stay away from crime didn’t last. She was arrested again in 2015 and charged with pocketing a $690 pair of earrings from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store at a mall in Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead neighbourhood.
— With files from The Associated Press.
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