The Post reported on Sunday that Manhattan lawyer James McMillan—an entertainment lawyer whose firm represents acts like the Clipse, Ron Browz, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Too Short and Slim Thug, among others—was claiming that he had his watch effectively stolen by half-Jewish, half-Canadian, recently re-Bar Mitzvah'd rapper Drake.

As the story goes:

1. McMillan took his Rolex in to be cleaned by Rafaello & Co., the midtown store where he purchased it. Their client list, according to the Post, counts Alicia Keys, Jamie Foxx and Carmelo Anthony among its customers.

2. Supposedly, Rafaello & Co. owner Rafael Aranbayev loved the watch, and decided to wear it.

3. McMillan thought his watch would be returned.

4. His watch was never returned.

5. He was offered a replacement watch to hold on to instead.

6. He was told that his watch had been sold.

7. Drake says that the Rolex he wears belongs to him.

If this story doesn't make sense to you, that's because you're a sensible human being. Questions:

- Why didn't McMillan, a lawyer, report his watch missing to police the moment it went missing?

- Why didn't McMillan, a lawyer, think there was something odd when he was told the owner decided to commandeer his $30,000 Rolex Presidential, and report it to police?

Finally, why would the New York Post print this quote in their story about Drake's denial of the watch?..

A source close to Drake said he got it directly from Rolex — and “never heard of this jeweler."

..When a simple Google search would turn up not just a NY Daily News story tying Drake to the jeweler...

"When Drake came in a few months ago it was 6 in the evening. A lot of the stores were already closed, but there was foot traffic. They saw he was here and then it was crazy. I had maybe 1,000 people outside."

...but a picture of Drake, with the guys from Rafaello & Co., in front of a Rafaello & Co. background, as featured on the Rafaello & Co. blog?

That said, the single Yelp review for Rafaello & Co, if you're interested, is three stars:

Rafaello and Co reached out to me concering a review I had posted about them. Their owner has taken steps to rectify the situation and I appreciate their dedication to customer service.

So maybe they'll sort this entire thing out. Until then, we have an early entry for oddest story of the week. Also, good to know that "off-the-back-of-a-truck-market" is (possibly) alive and thriving in Manhattan once again.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

It Was the Butler-and the Maid

If you're a wealthy socialite, there's nothing quite like having a hard-working, presentable maid or butler in service. Well, actually there is: having both a hard-working, competent maid and a butler in service. Even better is if they're happily married to one another; the household is bound to positively buzz with harmony. Unless, of course, the reason they're so compatible is that they share an interest in thievery, as was allegedly the case with the servants recently dismissed by-or, to be more accurate, arrested on Jan. 9 at the behest of-Ghislaine Maxwell, Manhattan socialite about town, daughter of the deceased British media baron Robert Maxwell, and occasional dinner companion of former President Bill Clinton.

In recent weeks, Ms. Maxwell apparently noticed that some of her belongings were vanishing from her East 65th Street townhouse. "She started to realize stuff was missing," explained a detective familiar with the case. He added that the homeowner undertook an investigation, which led her to the basement apartment in her building where her maid and butler lived. Her search revealed some familiar items. "She found her Christmas gifts there," the detective stated, "and $7,600 [that had been] missing from her safe."

A law-enforcement source said that some of the gifts were actually discovered in the oven. Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney's office, said that in addition to the cash, $10,000 in clothing and jewelry were also taken.

According to the NYPD, when Ms. Maxwell ventured into her staff's cellar abode, she allegedly found more than just her money and her stocking stuffers. She told the police that she saw what the cops described as "an undetermined amount of credit cards and what appeared to be fraudulent drivers' licenses and license plates."

On Jan. 9, the suspects-Victor Sagucio, 34, and Marabini Sagucio, 36-were arrested pursuant to a search warrant and charged with criminal possession of stolen property and grand larceny. Neither had prior arrest records and were released without bail. However, the investigation continues as Ms. Maxwell remembers other items that are missing.

Kiddie Porn

Kids are growing up faster and faster these days. Even so, the two young men browsing the porno racks around 6 p.m. at a newsstand at 1585 Second Avenue on Jan. 6 were really pushing the envelope. The perps, described by a store employee as 8 and 10 years old respectively, were none too happy when asked to leave the premises. They complied-but approximately five minutes after their departure, a chunk of ice came crashing through the front window.

The newsstand worker reported that he then saw the juveniles flee northbound on Second Avenue. Besides having captured them on videotape, the employee was able to provide some descriptive details on the mischief-makers: The older one was dressed in a black coat, the younger suspect sported a brown coat, and both were wearing school backpacks.

Tools Make the Man

If the poor workman blames his tools, then the talented one should praise his, as a team of burglars who stole $100,000 worth of Rolex watches from a Madison Avenue jewelry store on Jan. 3 would undoubtedly attest. The exact time of the incident is unknown. The burglars unscrewed the window frame and seamlessly removed the pane by attaching suction cups to it. The glass out of the way, they helped themselves to the pricey watches and fled on foot. Two male suspects were spotted fleeing northbound on Madison Avenue, while a female accomplice left the scene and headed across 74th Street. The police canvassed the area, with negative results.

Return Policy

Barneys, despite the changes it has gone through over the years, remains known for its discerning, high-end and-if one may be so bold-well-mannered clientele. If any pushing and shoving goes on, it's most likely at the makeup counter, among fashionistas eager to test-run the latest beauty products.

Therefore, it undoubtedly came as something of a surprise-certainly more so than it would at a rival department store such as Bloomingdale's, whose ambiance better lends itself to the hoi polloi-when two gentlemen visited the store after closing hours on Jan. 5 and tried to break down the door.

They'd apparently come not to shop for post-holiday bargains in the men's department, but to even the score with a female security guard who had been instrumental in arresting a friend of theirs, a former Barneys employee. Their friend, a 42-year-old female, had been arrested at the store on Jan. 3 and charged with grand larceny.

One of the enforcers, described as 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, with a muscular build and wearing a black bomber jacket, allegedly stated, "Where is the security guard?", and "You're going to see what happens," and "Shut the fuck up."

The security guard he was addressing (not, apparently, the one the two thugs were looking for) was standing on the other side of the locked door, refusing them entry. The second perp-also a male, described as skinny, 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds, with a scruffy beard and long brown hair-apparently said nothing worth quoting.

In any case, when the two saw they weren't getting anywhere, they retreated to the corner of 61st Street and Madison Avenue, where they stood for about 15 minutes before departing without further incident.

Ralph Gardner Jr. can be reached at rgard135@aol.com.