Real estate exec charged with stealing 3 designer ties from Bloomingdale's

A prominent North Side real estate executive was charged today with trying to steal three designer neckties from Bloomingdale's on the Magnificent Mile during Black Friday.

Michael J. Sato, 44, president of Jameson-Sotheby's real estate, allegedly slipped two Burberry ties into his coat and put a third tie into his shopping bag, then walked past the registers and was in the exit vestibule when he was stopped by store security officers, police said.

Court records said the alleged theft was filmed by store security cameras. Each of the ties cost $145, making the alleged theft a felony, according to police reports.

Wearing a casual black sweater and jeans at his bond hearing Saturday, Sato walked from the court room after Cook County Judge James R. Brown ordered him released on his own recognizance.

Sato's profile on the Jameson-Sotheby's website states he has made more than $400 million in sales during his 20-year career.

"The evidence will show that it was a misunderstanding," said Sato's attorney, Jon Erickson, on Saturday. "Mr. Sato is a good man, and Mr. Sato didn't do anything wrong."

agrimm@tribune.com