This is a surveillance photograph of the man who sneaked into the Manhattan offices of TVT Records and stole three laptop computers earlier this month.
The bandit, who police believe is about 35-years-old, entered TVT’s East 4th Street offices and made off with the electronic gear, including a computer belonging to TVT head Steve Gottlieb.
TVT was recently awarded $132 million in a fraud lawsuit against Island Def Jam and its chief, Lyor Cohen. The label had reneged on a deal to put out an album that featured hip-hop star Ja Rule, who is signed to Island Def Jam subsidiary Murder Inc.
Detectives have several theories about the theft, including that the burglar got lucky by wandering into what was supposed to be a secure office; that someone affiliated with Def Jam was responsible; or that it was an “inside job” committed by a current or former employee of TVT.
Gottlieb declined to comment on the theft. A spokesman for Island Def Jam has insisted that “any suggestion of IDJ’s involvement is absurd.”
Gottlieb’s name was in the news earlier this month when The New York Times published a profile on him that was filled with so many inaccuracies that the “paper of record” was forced to run a 2,100-word correction.