The image of 31-year-old Eva Lopez was falsely used in a wanted poster by the New York Police Department back in August.
Now, the Instagram influencer is suing the department for $30 million.
NYPD officials had been searching for a “thieving” prostitute when the mix-up occurred, according to the New York Post.
The escort in question was reportedly involved in a theft incident at an East Village apartment, where she was accused of stealing a $13,000 Rolex and Chase credit card.
On Aug. 16, Lopez said that she and her boyfriend were coming back from Florida when she received a startling text from a friend about the wanted poster, court records revealed.
“I thought it was something fake. I really couldn’t believe the police would put me on a wanted poster,” she recalled.
Initially, Lopez didn’t think anything of the mistake until her boss urged her to notify the NYPD about the error.
Lopez contacted the 9th Precinct, where a detective named Kevin Dwyer, appeared to have been already notified about the bogus wanted poster.
According to court filings, he “knew it was an issue before she called.” Dwyer reassured Lopez that the wrongfully used poster had been taken down, but sadly, the image had already begun to circulate across social media.
“…. It was still being passed around, still being talked about, still making me look like a thief and a prostitute,” Lopez told The Post, noting that on Facebook the false image had been shared over 10,000, 20,000 times. The poster also appeared on Instagram where the young woman boasts a large following of nearly 862,000.
Who is Eva Lopez? Instagram Influencer Sues NYPD for $30M Over ‘Wanted’ Poster https://t.co/tPYfmv5Lsf
— StarsInfoCity (@StarsInfoCity) March 14, 2022
In the photo, Lopez wore a sexy tube top, high heels, and tight leggings. Lopez said she was dressed up for her friend’s birthday party in the image used. The poster bore the words “Wanted for Grand Larceny,” along with “Perpetrator – probable cause to arrest.”
Lopez vehemently denied the allegations, telling the publication that she had never had a prior history of arrests and had never engaged in prostitution work. Since the image went viral, Lopez said the damaging situation has impacted her ability to work.