Trayvon Christian was arrested after buying a $350 Salvatore Ferragamo belt at the Barney’s Upper Eastside flagship store in April of 2013. Although he made the purchase with his own debit card, the transaction was flagged as fraud because sales associates nor the police believed a young black man could afford such an expensive accessory. Now they will pay up!

Nae Bella | Twitter

Christian was approached after he left the store, about a block away. He was then detained by two under cover police officers who said they were responding to a fraud claim by Barney’s sales associates.

In an interview with The News, Christian described his ordeal,

They said my card wasn’t real, it was fake. They said someone at Barneys called to report it.

The detectives were asking me, ‘How could you afford a belt like this? Where did you get this money from?’ “

The officers also asked to see his I.D., and questioned his employment.

Little did the officers and associates know, they chose the wrong person to profile that day; they chose someone who knows his rights. At the time of the arrest Christian was an engineering major at the New York City Of Technology.

Barney’s does not want to take ownership for the claim, possibly due to the negative light it sheds on the retailer, so they are resorting to pointing the finger at the officers involved.

This isn’t the first time Barney’s has been accused of racial profiling. According to online reports Barneys agreed to pay $525,000 in fines to settle racial profiling claims in August of 2014.

Now was that $300 belt worth this $45,000 they’ll be paying this young man? Congrats to him on that big win!

Get a look at Trayon Christian in the gallery!