NEW YORK – The New York Police Department incorrectly used a sultry image of a Queens Instagram influencer on a “wanted” poster for a thieving hooker, according to a $30 million lawsuit.
Eva Lopez, 31, discovered she was a “wanted woman” on Aug. 16, when she and her boyfriend stepped off a flight from Florida and a friend of his texted them, according to court papers, the New York Post reported.
“I thought it was something fake. I really couldn’t believe the police would put me on a wanted poster,” she recalled.
Lopez called Detective Kevin Dwyer, whose name was listed on the flyer, later that night. According to Lopez, the investigator “knew it was an issue before she called.”
Dwyer advised Lopez the wanted flier had already been pulled from NYPD’s Facebook page and other web sites, she said.
However, it was already widely distributed, according to the woman.
“It was already spread around on social media. … It was still being passed around, still being talked about, still making me look like a thief and a prostitute,” Lopez told the Post.
The image in the wanted flier showed Lopez in a low cut, hot pink tube top, with a thick gold necklace, bright, multi-colored leggings and high heels. “Wanted for Grand Larceny,” it said. “Perpetrator — probable cause to arrest.”
The crime under investigation occurred Aug. 3 from an East Village apartment. A man booked an escort online. The woman who came to his residence stole a $13,000 Rolex and a credit card belonging to the man’s roommate, police said.
The detective reportedly told Lopez that the victims showed police her pictures, which apparently led to the misidentification, she claimed in the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.
However, the real perpetrator had a tattoo sleeve, the detective said. Lopez doesn’t.
Lopez had 862,000 Instagram followers when the Post originally published the story Saturday morning. That number now exceeds 865,000 by midday. She works as a fashion influencer as well as a bartender at a club in Queens.
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Lopez said she was in Queens on Aug. 3, not in Manhattan. The picture used in the flier had been taken a month or two earlier, as she headed to a friend’s birthday party, she added.
“On Facebook, the [wanted poster] got shared over thousands of times — 10,000, 20,000 times. Then on Instagram a lot of blog sites that have millions of followers, they posted it as well,” according to Lopez.
Although Lopez proclaimed her innocence on Instagram, she said there were doubters, which caused her reputation to tank.
“People didn’t think I was being honest,” she said. “It was just really, really embarrassing, not only for me but for my family as well.”
Dwyer did not wish to further discuss the matter with the news outlet. The city Law Department said they will review the lawsuit.
Lopez emphasized that she has no affiliation with the person who committed the theft.
“I just really want people to know that’s not me, in any way, shape or form. The girl has nothing to do with me,” she said.
Moreover, Lopez said she’s never been in trouble with police, worked as an escort, or had contact with the victims, the Post reported.
Lopez declared she “had absolutely nothing to do with any grand larceny,” according to court papers filed against the city, the department and the detective.
