Ray Buffer Charged With Theft After Allegedly Stealing Comics

News

By David Proper

February 22, 2023 | 10:30 p.m.

California actor Ray Buffer has been charged with theft after a comic book store accused him of stealing from their San Diego business in October.

Buffer, who has appeared on shows like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ‘ER,’ was charged by the San Diego City Attorney’s Office with petty theft, pleading not guilty to the charge in January, an official said. bureau spokesperson to the Post on Wednesday.

The spokesperson also confirmed that the accusation was related to an October 4, 2022 incident at Southern California Comics, which very publicly accused Buffer at the time of stealing hundreds of comic book dollars.

A San Diego Superior Court prep conference is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 28, the city attorney’s office said. City officials did not provide the date the charges were filed, but a case involving Buffer was filed on Dec. 13, 2022, according to online records.

The comic book store released surveillance footage of the alleged theft a few days after the incident, which shows a man inside the business who appears to be hiding the comics under his shirt.

Southern California Comics owner Jamie Newbold told The Post on Wednesday that he didn’t know Buffer had been charged until he received a call from a city attorney this week. He said he was delighted that the case was progressing.

“I thought that case was brushed aside or brushed aside,” Newbold said. “Now I realize the case matters, so what I had to go through matters.”

“I was losing hope every month, I wasn’t hearing anything from anyone,” he said after contacting authorities two days after the October incident.

Newbold explained in an October interview that he originally posted images of an unidentified man on social media to warn other comic shops about the possible thief. Other companies then claimed the man was Buffer.

Southern California Comics shared news of Buffer’s lawsuit in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Newbold wrote that the San Diego City Attorney’s Office told him that Buffer’s attorney hoped to settle the case by allowing Buffer to participate in a hijacking scheme that would require the actor to pay compensation for the theft. presumed.

“He gets off very well if the courts allow him to pay for the crime financially,” Newbold said. “I would rather he see justice.”

Newbold estimates that about 10 comics were stolen worth about $850.

Further information about the case was not made available by the city attorney’s office, and the office did not provide a defense attorney for Buffer as of Wednesday night.

At least one other comic book store claimed Buffer stole them in September, though it’s unclear whether the charges led to criminal activity.

Buffer had other minor roles in single episodes of “CSI: Miami,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Cold Case,” according to her IMDb page.

He also appeared in several movies, according to this profile.