Charges: Woodbury Woman Steals, Pawns Jewelry From Man's Late Wife

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 45-year-old Woodbury woman is accused of stealing items from a man's late wife after meeting him on a dating site, pawning them and buying a luxury car with the money, according to charges filed in Dakota County Court.

Leslie Chandler Vogelsberg was charged with theft of over $1,000 and up to $5,000 in connection with the incident, which happened last May.

According to a criminal complaint, Burnsville police were called at about 8:18 p.m. on May 30, 2016, to a residence on a report of a theft. When officers arrived, a man told them two diamond bracelets belonging to his late wife were taken. He had checked with his daughter, who did not have them. He also told police there were other valuable items in the same container that were not taken. He said only two people beside himself had access to the items, Vogelsberg and the cleaning lady.

The complaint states he told police Vogelsberg is a friend and stayed overnight at his residence one night the week before. The day before filing a report, Vogelsberg showed up in a brand new BMW. An investigation showed that on May 29, Vogelsberg sold and pawned five pieces of jewelry, including two bracelets, for more than $2,000.

The man told officers Vogelsberg had been at his residence on May 19 to help him with a garage sale. He noticed the closet where the jewelry was stored was open, and Vogelsberg was at the residence unsupervised throughout the day. He later noticed the closet door was closed, which he found odd because he always kept it open. She showed up the next day in the BMW and told him her down payment was $2,000. He found that odd because she had complaint about money the week before, the complaint states.

Officers made contact with Vogelsberg, who told them she received the bracelets from him as a gift and pawned them shortly after. The man told police he and Vogelsberg were never in a romantic relationship, but had met on a dating site. She would show up every four to six months and they would go out to events, but she was never alone in the residence until the weekend of the garage sale, the complaint states. He said he couldn't abandon the money and property outside for the sale and found the closet door closed after she left.

The man told police he would never give away his late wife's belongings to anyone other than his daughter.

If convicted, Vogelsberg faces up to five years in jail and $10,000 in fines.