Alex Borders, 48, an alleged fraudster accused of orchestrating a scheme to steal over $300,000 in jewelry, appeared visibly distressed during her 20th court hearing in Manhattan on Thursday. The prosecution indicated that a plea deal, offering a sentence of two to four years in prison, would be withdrawn if not accepted at the next hearing on December 15, after which the case would proceed to trial.
Borders is accused of creating a fake company under the alias Alex Hollinger and using it to place advertisements in prominent magazines such as The New Yorker and GQ. These ads allegedly lured customers to mail their jewelry, promising cash in return. After receiving the items and agreeing on a price, Borders reportedly issued checks that bounced, leaving victims with financial losses and their valuables unreturned. Prosecutors also allege that Borders wrote bad checks for the magazine advertisements themselves, drawn from accounts with insufficient funds.
Since her arrest two years ago, Borders has been out on bond. Her attorney informed the court that his client began identifying as a woman shortly after her arrest. During Thursday's hearing, she remained silent and attempted to shield her face from cameras.
If the case goes to trial and Borders is convicted, she faces significantly harsher penalties. Current charges include second-degree grand larceny, third-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheme to defraud, and misdemeanor counts of issuing a bad check. The most severe charge, second-degree grand larceny, carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
In addition to the alleged jewelry theft, Borders is also accused of stealing more than $3,000 in wages from a former employee whose checks also bounced. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that Borders allegedly went to "extreme lengths" to execute the scam, defrauding consumers, publications, and an employee.
Victims have described the alleged con artist's actions as devastating, leading to drained savings, significant debt, and in one instance, homelessness. Complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau suggest that Borders may have been identifying as a man and using male pronouns while conducting the alleged scam.