Union Rescue Mission Burglar Pleads No Contest
Ed Fuentes
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Arrested in December 2007 and charged with stealing $100,000 from a safe at the Union Rescue Mission, Alvin Synder today pled no contest to four charges filed against him. He faces a maximum of twenty-one years in prison.
The robbery took place on December 2, 2007. The safe contained money that homeless individuals had entrusted to the mission for safe-keeping. A fire set to cover the incident forced the mission's 800 residents to evacuate the building at 4am.
The next day, police arrested Synder, who mission officials said had left the facility on unfriendly terms a week earlier.
Synder has been jailed since his arrest. The no contest plea today occurred on the sixth day of his trial.
WillyK on May 14, 2009, at 11:57PM – #1
Hate to nitpick but I constantly see robbery and tievery confused. Robbery is the taking of property throuh the use of, or the threat of, force. Burglary is the entry of a building with the intent to commit a felony. Theft pretty much speaks for itself. What Snyder did was commit a burglary and grand theft.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on May 15, 2009, at 12:23AM – #2
Fair enough. I'll correct that.