A Waynesboro surgeon and his veterinarian wife, accused of felony theft last year after a mink coat went missing from an Albemarle County wedding, have instead been convicted of misdemeanors.
In a plea deal, Dr. Susan Rieser, 40, and her husband, Dr. G. Ryan Rieser, each entered an Alford plea to a single charge of petty larceny on June 12 in Albemarle General District Court. An Alford plea concedes there is enough evidence for a conviction but does not admit guilt. It’s treated the same as a guilty plea.
Susan Rieser is the veterinarian in-charge for the Augusta Regional SPCA. Ryan Rieser is listed as an orthopedic surgeon with Shenandoah Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and is employed by Augusta Health in Fishersville
“Augusta Health has no comment on work-related or personal employee legal matters,” a spokesperson from the hospital said when asked for comment. “While we do not comment on employment-related matters, we have faith in the quality-of-care Dr. Rieser provides to patients in the Shenandoah Valley.”
Mink coat goes missing from wedding
The couple came under scrutiny last year after attending a wedding at an Albemarle County country club. According to court records, on Nov. 17, a day after the wedding was held at the Farmington Country Club, a man contacted the Albemarle County Police Department to report that his wife’s full-length, mahogany mink coat had been stolen at the event.
The man told police the coat was initially left underneath a table earlier in the evening before it was discovered missing nearly four hours later, court records show. A police officer spoke with a manager at the country club, and video surveillance from a camera situated near the table was provided. On the video, the officer said he saw the woman place the coat underneath the table at 6:30 p.m. on the night of the wedding, court records state.
Three hours passed before a man, identified as Ryan Rieser, was reportedly seen on the video footage kicking at the tablecloth that was hanging over the table. Reaching down and grabbing the coat, he placed it on a nearby chair, the police officer said in a criminal complaint.
The inside of the mink coat was monogrammed with the victim’s initials, police said.
A short while later that same night, Ryan Rieser was allegedly seen giving the mink coat to his wife, who reportedly tried it on before hanging it over her arm. “Mrs. Rieser then leaves the premises with the coat,” the officer wrote. She was identified by guests at the wedding, according to court records.
Susan Rieser was charged a week after the wedding and her husband was charged in March.
Ryan Rieser was represented by attorney Thomas Weidner IV, and his wife’s attorney was David Heilberg. In a joint statement, the attorneys said, “Not guilty with stipulation of facts sufficient pleas are safety valves in highly contested cases although these spouses assert their innocence,” said the statement. “The Riesers decided to move past this case receiving exaggerated, harmful, and unfair media attention, sooner rather than later, in the best interests of their children and family.”
Susan Rieser was initially charged with grand larceny (accessory after the fact) and her husband was facing a felony charge of conspiracy to commit larceny. Following their convictions for petty larceny, they were given 12 months in jail with all of their time suspended, meaning neither will go to jail. Both were ordered to pay $91 in court costs, online records show.
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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at [email protected]. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Waynesboro doctors convicted in theft of mink coat from country club
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