Alleged 'office creeper' charged in law firm burglary and other thefts
Ameenah Franks isn’t discussing the latest burglary cases in which she is charged, including a break-in at a Norfolk, Virginia, law firm.
But the 30-year-old, who has previously served time for stealing in workplace settings, did offer some perspective on the reasons behind her past actions during a three-hour jailhouse interview with the Virginian-Pilot.
Dressing and speaking well helped her gain access to offices, as did subterfuges such as presenting fake credentials; tailgating legitimate employees as they entered; and standing outside a door, with cigarette in hand, ready to walk in after a seeming smoke break. She had been dubbed the “office creeper” in crime alerts, according to the newspaper.
Gaining workplace access allowed her to steal money and electronic devices. But it also gave her a sense of belonging from individuals who mistakenly thought she was a fellow employee, Franks said.
Sometimes, she told the Virginian-Pilot, she got dressed up, gained entry and didn’t even take anything.
“For a few minutes—maybe just a little conversation with someone in an elevator—they treated me with respect. They looked at me like I was someone, like I deserved to be there,” she said. “And I wished I really were a co-worker. I deserved to have a job. And just for that little bit, I did.”
At one point, she crashed a business meeting, Franks said. “Someone even asked me a question—what I thought they should do about an influx of resources versus outgoing. So I gave an answer, and everyone said, ‘Oh, that’s a good idea.’ ”
Early in June, security cameras captured images of a well-dressed woman who looks like Franks breaking into the Kaufman & Canoles law office on the 21st floor of the Sun Trust tower in Norfolk, the article says.
Chairman Bill Van Buren told the newspaper the culprit in the Kaufman & Canoles break-in tried without success to persuade a security guard she was an employee there, then pried open a locked door after staff had gone home. The thief took money, laptops and more.
“I heard that at another firm, she was seen sitting in one of the lawyer’s chairs, adjusting it to her liking,” Van Buren said of the suspect. “She claimed to be an intern, and if you tell a believable enough story aggressively to a low-level employee, they won’t challenge you. They don’t want to offend anybody.”
Over a decade ago, Franks embarrassed those in charge of supposedly secure federal government offices in Washington, D.C., with her prowlings, the Virginian-Pilot reports. She alone knows how many.
“You’d be surprised to know the buildings I’ve been in,” she told the newspaper. “Places that are supposed to be protecting us. No one knows what I looked at or what I read in there. If I was a real bad guy, trying to steal intel, I could have done it. I could be useful if they don’t lock me away.”
