Bank Executive Thinks Two Topless Women Stole His Wallet, Gets Arrested For Assault

A bank executive from Charlotte, North Carolina, is facing assault charges this week after attacking two topless women in Times Square who he assumed stole his wallet.

According to the Huffington Post, 46-year-old Mark Walters from Bank of America was visiting New York on a business trip when he came across two topless women covered in body paint (performers known as “desnudas”). The women were making money by posing for pictures with tourists and accepting tips, which Mark Walters opted to be a part of.

After Mark Walters snapped a photo with the topless women, he realized his wallet was missing. Assuming one of the topless women stole it while the picture was being taken, Walters began shouting accusations at Lourdes Carrasquillo, age 32. She tried to leave the area, but the bank executive allegedly grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground.

The other desnuda performer, 20-year-old Maria Ruiz, tried to fend Walters off of her friend but was elbowed in the face in the process by the executive. The brawl was eventually broken up by another Times Square performer called the “Silver Cowboy,” and an NYPD police officer.

“He hurt me,” reported one of the topless women. “He grabbed us in the middle of the street and we tried to get away from him and he still kept trying to assault us.”

According to the New York Times, police could find no evidence that either of the topless women had actually stolen the executive’s wallet. Officers arrested Mark Walters for assaulting the performers.

When confronted about the incident, Walters admitted to grabbing one of the topless women because he thought she took his money.

“I was looking for the police, but I thought she pick-pocketed me,” he said.

Mark Walters is now being held on a $1,500 bond. His lawyer Gurmeet Singh reported that the executive was attacked by one of the topless women first, and that the Silver Cowboy pushed him to the ground, as evidenced by the silver body paint found on Walters’ clothing.

Singh claimed, “these scantily clad women are somehow involved.”

A third performer among the topless women in Times Square, 29-year-old Saira Nicole, defended the desnuda that Walters attacked. Nicole admitted that Carrasquillo is “a little hot-headed… but stealing a wallet is something she would never do.”

Neither the topless women nor the Silver Cowboy have been charged as a result of the Times Square scuffle.

[Image credit: LinkedIn, Spencer Platt / Getty Images]