NEW ORLEANS -- Two years ago, Alexander Bourne was a rising young entrepreneur who hit the New Orleans social scene by storm. He cultivated a glitzy image and he aggressively marketed his business – Patina Shoe Parlor – as a high-end mobile shoe repair service for busy professionals.
The business took off and Bourne seemed to be everywhere: fundraisers, fashion shows, exclusive parties, much of it trumpeted by Bourne himself on social media. Mainstream media also took note; New Orleans Magazine featured him on the cover of its 2014 "People to Watch" issue.
But at the same time Bourne was winning over high-profile customers and supporters, some cracks in his carefully-crafted image began to appear. Many customers began complaining about late orders and missing shoes. When those customers tried to get answers, they said many calls and emails went unanswered or they were given the runaround.
Bob Edmundson had been a satisfied client until two pairs of shoes came back missing the left shoes.
"He was a likeable guy, charming guy, well-dressed, makes lots of social rounds," Edmundson. "But I could never really get a rational answer for the failings to return the shoes. His response was not characteristic of the image he presented."
Now Bourne, 25, is in Orleans Parish Prison, awaiting trial on multiple theft charges involving more than a dozen victims. In most of the cases, Bourne is accused of stealing shoes and money given to him as deposits for work he never completed.
In one police report, Sgt. Frank Denton wrote, "It should be noted that this is not just a bad business deal. Alexander Bourne uses the business Patina Shoe Parlor to obtain victim's money for services he never renders. Bourne is a systematic perpetrator of theft fraud and misrepresentation."
Originally from the Chicago area, Bourne came to Xavier University to study dentistry. Then he launched Patina Shoe Parlor, using energetic networking to make his business pitch to New Orleans' rich and famous. Before the complaints began mounting, the people who decided to place their trust in Bourne reads like a who's who of local movers and shakers: politicians, lawyers, socialites, well-known chefs and business owners.
Janet-Bruno Small, a boutique jeweler who owned a store on Magazine Street, was among those who was won over.
"He had a very professional brochure. He was impeccably dressed. And he came into my shop, and he impressed me. And I sent shoes with him a couple of days later," Bruno-Small said.
Bruno-Small said she was happy with Bourne's work, so she referred Bourne to her friends. The list of satisfied customers grew.
But at the same time, another list was growing. Many customers were increasingly impatient with Bourne when he didn't return their shoes on time, then didn't return their phone calls. Complaints began to pile up on websites like Yelp.
"When I met him, he was well-dressed, articulate, had a good pitch," said one customer who requested anonymity. "Then he walked out the door with my shoes and my money, and I never got either one back. I'm used to spotting con artists, but I got snookered. It's embarrassing."
Then came James and Heidi Dugan. When Bourne was late to return her new pair of Jimmy Choo boots, the Dugans went to the District Attorney's office. The result: criminal charges against Bourne for theft, a felony due to the boots' $1,200 price tag.
"My side of the story is pretty simple," James Dugan said. "He's a criminal and a con man. He's the kind of criminal that gives New Orleans a bad name."
Bourne said he is innocent. He said the failure to return the boots was due to miscommunication, and he ultimately returned the boots.
"The case that ignited all of this, the lady had her shoes back before I was ever arrested," Bourne said. "You know, no one wants to talk about that. People just want to say, Alexander's a con man."
Bourne's attorney, Autumn Harrell, said the case never should have been handled as a criminal matter. She said any problems were strictly private business disputes that could have been handled through the Better Business Bureau or small claims court.
"There are so many avenues in which the complaining witnesses could have sought relief," Harrell said. "I don't like that our city's tax-paying dollars are being used in this private capacity. It bothers me tremendously," Harrell said.
Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino agreed that the case is not typical.
"What starts out as an innocuous, ordinary business transaction turns bad, in the vast majority of cases it doesn't result in criminal prosecutions," Ciolino said. "This one is unusual."
What Bourne and his supporters find even more unusual is that about the same time the district attorney's office served an arrest warrant, Dugan's law firm contributed $5,000 to the district attorney's campaign fund.
Then after making all his court appearances, Bourne's free recognizance bond was raised by Judge Frank Marullo to a $25,000 personal surety bond. That was on Oct. 23. The next day, Dugan gave Marullo a $1,000 campaign contribution, state records show.
Dugan was not available to address the contributions, and Marullo could not be reached. But District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro blasted any notion that there is a link between the contributions and the prosecution.
In a written statement, Cannizzaro's spokesman and Assistant DA Chris Bowman wrote, "Bourne's repeated claims that his prosecution is the product of political corruption are particularly ironic given the efforts of multiple victims to amicably resolve their disputes with Bourne prior to making criminal complaints. Bourne responded with inaction and implied to the victims that he was beyond the reach of the law because of his political connections and would threaten the victims by telling them, "You don't know who [sic] you are messing with."
Bowman said prosecutors look forward to taking the case to trial.
"As an alleged ‘entrepreneur,' Alexander Bourne is criminally charged with bilking numerous unsuspecting victims out of thousands of dollars in cash and goods," Bowman wrote. "As a criminal defendant, he is again attempting to peddle a slick yet factually unsubstantiated tale of bribery to elected officials, state and federal law enforcement authorities, and every media outlet in New Orleans. No one has found a shred of credibility to his story or believed it merited publication or broadcast. It is unfortunate that he found such easy marks in Mike Perlstein and WWL-TV."
After Bourne's bail was increased last October, he was sent to Orleans Parish Prison, where he stayed for nine months. When he was released in June after his ROR was reinstated, he was broke, bouncing between homeless shelters and youth hostels.
"It was a very traumatic and demeaning experience," Bourne said.
Bourne's supporters were outraged, prompting a YouTube video featuring a string of supporters offering testimonials:
"Why did a friend of mine get thrown in jail for nine months over a delayed shoe repair order?"
"Why are we removing productive citizens from our community at the hands of politics?"
Longtime friend Alonda Nelson said charges were added while Bourne was locked up because he was unable to handle customers' complaints.
"It just got out of hand," Nelson said. "So now it's like a domino effect, because what you started, now he can't even, by being in jail, he can't even return the other people's property."
"That's the bottom line," said Bourne. "You can't have orders fulfilled if you're incarcerated," Bourne said.
In an earlier court hearing, an investigator for the district attorney's office admits he found other victims by looking up dissatisfied customers on Bourne's Yelp page. Celebrated chef Susan Spicer was one. Edmundson was another.
"A detective from the DA's office contacted me. And apparently there were other people that were having similar issues, I guess," Edmundson said.
Complainants told similar accounts of missing shoes, missing money, and a hostile Bourne refusing to compensate them.
Some of those alleged victims said Bourne exhibited all the traits of a con artist: constantly trying to talk his way out of trouble, but hardly ever correcting the problem.
"He kept my check, he kept my shoes, he wouldn't return my calls and emails," Janet Goforth said. "Then the next thing I know he was calling me from jailing asking if I could help bail him out."
Goforth said she during one of Bourne's calls from jail, he urged her not to press charges.
"I never had thought of calling the police actually, but I did after he mentioned it," she said. "I just thought I was stupid for falling for it. I felt bilked. He does just enough work to get supporters to think he's legitimate. That's his scheme. He's a slick-talking criminal.
Before Bourne was thrown back in jail last week, WWL-TV confronted him about the allegations against him.
"The only reason we're having this conversation is because these people have a sense of entitlement," Bourne said. "I think it's really unfortunate."
When asked directly about specific allegations of taking money and shoes, Bourne did not answer the question directly.
"It's kind of absurd that one could take the necessary steps to depict me as some kind of con man that steals women's shoes," he said. "Even if I wanted to go on the dark side of Bourbon Street, it would be very tough to even fit these shoes around my hand.
"These people have a motive. And that motive is to ensure that Alexander Bourne becomes a convicted felon," Bourne said.
Last week, after WWL-TV interviewed Bourne, he went to court for a routine court hearing in his case. Bourne was immediately taken into custody and informed that two new theft charges were being added to his case.
As a result of the new charges, ad hoc Judge Dennis Waldron raised Bourne's bail to $36,000, calling him a flight risk.
A trial date has not been scheduled, but Bourne and prosecutors each say they are eager to get the case in front of a jury.
Here is the complete written statement of Assistant District Attorney Chris Bowman, spokesman for the DA's office:
"As an alleged ‘entrepreneur,' Alexander Bourne is criminally charged with bilking numerous unsuspecting victims out of thousands of dollars in cash and goods. As a criminal defendant, he is again attempting to peddle a slick yet factually unsubstantiated tale of bribery to elected officials, state and federal law enforcement authorities, and every media outlet in New Orleans. No one has found a shred of credibility to his story or believed it merited publication or broadcast. It is unfortunate that he found such easy marks in Mike Perlstein and WWL-TV.
"Bourne's repeated claims that his prosecution is the product of political corruption are particularly ironic given the efforts of multiple victims to amicably resolve their disputes with Bourne prior to making criminal complaints. Bourne responded with inaction and implied to the victims that he was beyond the reach of the law because of his political connections and would threaten the victims by telling them, "You don't know who [sic] you are messing with.
"WWL-TV is well aware that this DA's office frequently acts as an investigative agency in cases involving financial fraud – the office having performed hundreds of investigations, obtained numerous convictions, and collected millions of dollars in restitution for victims of contractor fraud in the decade following Hurricane Katrina. As WWL-TV has reported, the present manpower shortage has made it difficult for the NOPD to timely respond to non-emergency calls for service. In light of this, the DA's office has been called upon even more to assist victims of nonviolent crimes.
"That James Dugan made a campaign contribution to the DA's reelection campaign in April of last year is wholly irrelevant. First, the campaign contribution was made more than six months before the Court raised Bourne's bond. Second, the Court increased the bond on its own motion without any request from the DA's office. Making a campaign contribution neither deprives Mr. Dugan nor the numerous other victims swindled by Bourne, who did not contribute to the DA's campaign, of the protections of the Criminal Justice System.
"Some in New Orleans have apparently grown far too tolerant of criminal activity, but this is not a case about a pair of shoes. The defendant is presently charged with 15 separate counts of theft or unauthorized use. The DA's office will prove that he stole money from a charity that exists to improve the health of mothers and babies. The DA's office looks forward to litigating this case in a court of law rather than on TV or social media but will not silently ignore this accused criminal's preposterous allegations."