NY woman accused of taking 500 lbs of gold from job

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Call her the modern day  Goldfinger.

A New York woman was charged on Wednesday with stealing as  much as $12 million in gold bullion and jewelry over a period  of six years, lifting the ill-gotten booty from her employer by  concealing the stash in the lining of her pocketbook.

The district attorney for New York City’s borough of Queens  said Teresa Tambunting, 50, was arraigned yesterday on  charges of first-degree grand larceny and first-degree criminal  possession of stolen property from Jacmel Jewelry Inc. “The defendant is accused of establishing a virtual mining  operation … which siphoned off millions of dollars worth of  the precious metal from her employer,” Queens District Attorney  Richard Brown said in a statement.