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The producer behind one of the “Bill and Ted” movies is now accused of participating in a heist to steal more than $1m in cash and property.
Raymond Bouderau, 49, from New York City, and Jacqueline Jewett, 57, of Connecticut, were arrested and charged with first-degree grand larceny, two counts of second-degree burglary and fourth-degree conspiracy, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Mr Bouderau is listed as CEO of Living the Dream Films, which produced Bill & Ted Face the Music, a sequel to the time-traveling comedy franchise.
The East Hampton Star reports that the burglary occurred in September at a woman’s homes in Sag Harbor and Manhattan.
Ms Jewett and Mr Bouderau were in an "on-and-off-again romantic relationship" and reportedly planned the heist once Ms Jewett learned the victim’s home would be empty, according to the paper.
She reportedly received the addresses, travel dates and other personal information through the victim’s boyfriend, who was also Ms Jewett’s ex-boyfriend.
Ms Jewett has been charged with second-degree burglary and first-degree grand larceny.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney described the duo’s heist plan as being "meticulously planned" and said it resembled a "bad movie script," according to the newspaper.
The heist was planned for 22 September, while the victim was out of town, Mr Tierney said.
"The house had been ransacked and multiple safes were compromised. Obviously, the electricity was shut off to disable whatever surveillance cameras there might have been," he said.
Mr Tierney told Patch that the would-be heist crew managed to make off with more than $1m before they were caught.
"Life is not like the movies. These defendants thought it would be a good idea to pull a ‘heist,’ wherein they secretly gathered criminal intelligence about their wealthy target, orchestrated unlawful intrusions into two locations and made off with well over $1m in proceeds,” he said. "Fortunately, unlike the movies, Suffolk County law enforcement does not sit idly by, and together, detective investigators from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the New York State Police, and the Sag harbor Police Department were able to swiftly solve this case.”
Police managed to locate a truck that was allegedly used in the heist by the duo, and found it was owned by Mr Bouderau. Based on that evidence, the pair were indicted by a grand jury on 2 December. When investigators caught up with Mr Bouderau and Ms Jewett following the indictment, they seized more than $1m in recovered property from the house. Items included an AR-15 rifle, jewelry, art, and more than 40 bottles of fine wine.
Police also found a large amount of ketamine in Mr Bouderau’s apartment.
Investigators pulled text messages from the duo’s phones and found they had been allegedly discussing the stolen items. Mr Bouderau had photos of some of the stolen art saved on his phone. Investigators believe he was trying to determine what the pieces were worth.
Ms Jewett is being held on a $400,000 bond and Mr Bouderau is being held on a $650,000 bond, according to court records.
Gerard McCloskey, Ms Jewett’s lawyer, said she has pleaded not guilty.
"She’s a 57-year-old woman who has never been in any legal trouble in her life," he told Newsday.
The Connecticut State Police said Ms Jewett turned herself in on 30 November after learning that she was being sought on a felony arrest warrant.
Mr Bouderau is a film producer who lives in New York. According to his company’s website he has worked with celebrities including Alec Baldwin, Johnny Depp, Adam Levine, and Amanda Seyfried.