Shirley Gordon

Shirley Gordon is an American con-artist.
Biography
On January 31, 1969 when she turned 18 years old she tried to steal a $28 dollar worth of a dress in one of the department stores in Tampa, but was caught and arrested. Her shoplifting career haven't ended there, and before she turned 25 she was arrested seven times. Later on, when she got out, by using identity theft and fraud she got away with a one million dollar worth of cash on which she bought BMWs and Jaguars.
Love
First love and broke ups
Her boyfriend, a drug dealer nicknamed Bonimo, build her a Three Oaks Motel in 1970s where she lived luxuriously due to his heroin profits. He later was convicted twice on heroin charges and died in prison in 1983. Despite the death of her boyfriend she continued to live on the money until they ended, and then she needed to start robbing again. Later on, she moved to an apartment and bought a big-screen TV on a fake credit card. At the same time, she met a new guy named Kenneth Day, but despite gorgeous gifts to his family her relationship ended with him. Gordon began dating a thief named Gregory Buchanan whom she married later. Three weeks later, she turned herself in but convinced the judge to let her go and assign her a treatment rather then jail time, hindering on her impulsive shopping disorder.<ref namesptimes/> The judge gave her a sentence of five years behind bars, but due to the false paperwork she got released earlier.<ref nameHillsborough/>
Second trial
On October 4, 2004 she was arrested again for identity theft that she did on February 12 of the same year,<ref name=Hillsborough/> this time for faking it under a name of Lilian Gordon which in turn was her mother. The real Lilian Gordon have filed a criminal complaint to the state attorney named Bernie McCabe after she saw her daughter driving an Infiniti which she bought at the Sarasota dealership for $37,000. Not only did she bought a new car on Lilian's card, but she also updated her driving license and bought a $5,000 worth of jewelry in Zales.<ref name=sptimes/>
Third trial
In 2005 she was arrested and this time was convicted on almost all 40 charges. During the trial, Gordon said that she was growing in a poor family but also mentioned that she won Miss Black St. Petersburg beauty pageant which suggests otherwise. While in prison, she was trying to run scams even out of her own jail cell, which made Beverly Andringa, a prosecutor, to put her behind bars for 30 years. Gordon hired a chiropractor who bailed her out on $30,000 and after that her chiropractor, Rhonda Schroeder, bought her a $450,000 dollar house and another $150,000 went into furnishings. That really surprised the prosecution, especially after her attempt of providing false alibi.<ref name=sptimes/>
Guilty plea and aftermath
Despite the fact that Gordon was pleaded guilty and got 30 years behind bars, Andringa at times was still curious; how did Shirley fooled Schroeder into buying her all of the luxury items? She asked the chiropractor for a meeting and on it learned the truth; In fall 2004, Gordon had overheard her conversation about the break-up with her fiancé and decided to help. They became best friends, and because of it shopped and lived together, even the house she bought, was licensed to Gordon.<ref name=sptimes/>

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