Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
"You Broke My Glasses" Scammer Gets 7 Years In Prison
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 7, 2011
Modified Jan 7, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 7, 2011
Modified Jan 7, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
One of our favorite classic scams is the "You broke my glasses" scheme, where someone tells an unsuspecting mark that he/she has broken a pair of glasses and must pay. Variations include "You broke my bottle" routine and "you made me drop my insulin shot." Now someone is going to prison for trying to con clueless rubes—according to the Daily News, Naim Jabbar was sentenced to seven years for getting caught last year.
Apparently Jabbar "targeted countless victims - many of them tourists - in Midtown over a dozen years." And prosecutors also claimed that Jabbar, who is 6'2" and cuts an intimidating figure (his seat in court even broke!), used his stature to get marks to pay or would threaten to beat them up. He was arrested after trying to dupe a French tourist into giving him $100 for a pair of broken $5 glasses, but a passerby recognized the scam. Manhattan DA Cy Vance said, "The defendant is a dangerous individual whose highly effective criminal strategy has been to threaten and intimidate victims into turning over their money."
Jabbar's lawyer believes the jury was frightened of him but, "He's very much like Mike Tyson, he's a huge guy with a soft voice." Still, when he was arrested, he was found with broken glasses in his pocket.
Another popular scam: The pigeon drop. Also, be wary of the "I ran out of gas money" scam.
Tagged
broken glasses
classic con
con man
crime
pigeon drop
prison sentence
scam
you broke my glasses
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
Nearly 1 million in the city risk losing benefits as a result of new federal restrictions.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
These are the NYC neighborhoods that will get free 2-K next fall
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
By
James Ramsay
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .