The thief used manual work to steal $260,000 with diamonds from NYC stores
The international jewelry burglar has been accused of swiping two diamond rings that cost nearly $300,000 from Tiffany and Cartier stores in Manhattan. (Credit: WNYW)
International Jewelry Thief – Previously accused of stealing from the store South Korea and California – pleaded guilty to using manual and other techniques to steal approximately $260,000 worth of diamonds from Cartier and Tiffany & Company in New York.
Yaorong Wan, 50, pleaded guilty to grand theft in second degree New York State Supreme Court on monday. He is expected to be sentenced between three and nine years in state prison next month, according to a news release from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“Yaorong Wan used manual work to pocket $260,000 worth of diamonds from two gorgeous jewellers,” District Attorney Bragg said in a statement. “New York is the global fashion capital and we will work with our law enforcement partners to keep our mom and pop stores and luxury retailers safe.”
Yaorong Wan, 50, pleaded guilty to grand theft on Monday at the New York Supreme Court’s second degree. (Fox News/Fox News)
On March 4, 2024, Wang stole a diamond ring worth around $225,000 from Tiffany & Co. Store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. He entered the jewelry store and asked the staff about some items. One of them is a diamond ring. When he examined the ring, Wang secretly slipped it into his palm and exchanged it for a counterfeit of cubic zirconia. He left the store without buying anything, and the employee unconsciously returned the fake ring to the display case, according to the Manhattan DA office.
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November 27, 2012, file photos show a gift box from Tiffany & Company on display in Boston. (AP Photo/Elyse Amendora)
A week later, Wang tried his luck again at the Cartier store at the Hudson Yard Complex. he asked employee If only he could see multiple gems, including two engagement rings. While employees were distracted, WAN returned only one of the diamond rings, not two. As mentioned in the news release, he valued the ring at about $24,000, pocketed it for about $24,000 and left the store again without paying.
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File Photo: Diamond rings are drawn against black surfaces. (Getty Images/Getty Images)
Last May – Two months after the theft, Wang was arrested and charged with two counts of mass theft. He had public arrest warrants in New Jersey and Nassau County, Long Island, at the time of his arrest, according to a Fox affiliate. Fox 5 New York.
Wang was also a suspect in South Korea for theft from Cartier stores in Florida and California, and was sought after in South Korea for allegedly stealing from a high-end jewelry store, Assistant District Attorney Eliana Ramelson reported in his arrest, Fox 5 New York.
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The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox Business’s request for comment.