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Stylist to Boston’s ‘most fabulous socialites’ accused of stealing more than $400,000 in Saks refund scheme
Authorities allege Suhail Kwatra refunded items his clients purchased but never picked up, converting the funds into gift cards he purportedly spent on himself.
A longtime Saks Fifth Avenue personal shopper once hailed as a “stylist to Boston’s most fabulous socialites” now faces a larceny charge as he stands accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent returns.
Authorities allege Suhail Kwatra, 43, refunded items his clients purchased but never picked up, converting the funds into gift cards he purportedly spent on himself. His alleged scheme, which netted about $429,400, also included mismanaging “promo cards,” giving unpaid merchandise to clients, and abusing a corporate card, according to a complaint filed in Boston Municipal Court.
Kwatra is scheduled for arraignment Dec. 18. He did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
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However, Jennifer Furey, an attorney representing Kwatra on legal issues surrounding his termination, said the stylist “looks forward to clearing his good name.”
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“Less than two months ago, Saks offered Mr. Kwatra a significant retention bonus if he would stay at Saks,” she said in a statement. “When he turned that down as he was contemplating another offer from a global retailer, Saks launched these baseless and vindictive charges against Mr. Kwatra.”
According to court documents, a Boston police officer responded to the Saks at the Prudential Center on Nov. 18 and spoke with the assistant director of loss prevention, who informed him of Kwatra’s alleged fraud. Kwatra, who’d worked at the store for 20 years, ultimately “separated” from Saks after an internal investigation revealed he had processed fake merchandise refunds on several occasions, the complaint alleges.
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Saks purportedly showed a Boston police detective social media photos of Kwatra wearing some of the clothing he’s accused of purchasing fraudulently. According to police, the company also supplied a handwritten letter in which Kwatra allegedly apologized, revealed the extent of his scheme, and agreed to pay the money back.
But in a letter to Saks’s legal team Tuesday, Furey wrote that Kwatra was “forced and coerced” into signing the letter and promissory note during his termination meeting. She further alleged Kwatra’s firing was the company’s attempt to “cover up failed internal controls and its frustration over Mr. Kwatra’s decision to decline a retention bonus and seek employment elsewhere.”
For years, Furey wrote, Kwatra was a “highly successful and profitable” personal shopper and stylist responsible for attracting the city’s elite socialites and boosting Saks’s bottom line.
He made frequent appearances in local news outlets and society pages, with a 2014 Boston Globe article describing his work with Tiffany Ortiz — then the wife of Red Sox icon David Ortiz. Gretchen Pace, who was at the time general manager of Saks in Boston, told the Globe that Kwatra’s prospective clients should expect a partnership that will “push the boundaries of your style.”
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On his website, Kwatra touts his “sharp eye and unapologetic taste,” noting a specialty in “curated, high-impact wardrobe solutions tailored to those who expect excellence.”
“I don’t follow trends—I edit them,” he writes. “Clients come to me for clarity, confidence, and a wardrobe that speaks before they do. If you’re looking for ordinary, you’re in the wrong place.”
According to Furey, Saks offered Kwatra a “wide latitude to satisfy his clients and enhance his profile.”
His supervisors “condoned his distribution of gift cards to clients, taking clients to dinner, offering other perks to ensure clients remained with Saks, and distributing gift cards and unreturnable items to support business development efforts,” Furey wrote.
“None of this was secretive,” she alleged, and Kwatra’s managers “condoned and permitted and encouraged these practices” until Saks discovered he was unhappy and seeking another role.
According to Furey, Kwatra turned down a proffered $50,000 retention bonus in October because he planned to pursue a “global opportunity” with a competing luxury retailer. It was only then, she alleged, that Saks accused Kwatra of misconduct.
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Furey further argued that the promissory note agreeing to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars is unenforceable, partly because Kwatra was “under duress” and believed that by signing it, his reputation would remain intact and Saks would not pursue criminal charges.
She suggested Saks “maliciously spread rumors” about Kwatra to others, including journalists and the competing luxury retailer that had offered him a job. Saks did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
If convicted of larceny, Kwatra could face up to five years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
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