An alleged international jewelry thief stands accused of stealing two diamond rings, valued at nearly $300,000, from Tiffany and Cartier stores located in Manhattan.
An international jewelry thief, wanted by Interpol for stealing from upscale stores in Beverly Hills, Miami, and South Korea, has been apprehended in New York. Last week, he was caught red-handed for allegedly pilfering two rings valued at almost $300,000 from a Tiffany and Cartier store.
Yaorong Wan, 49, faced an arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court over the weekend. He was charged with two counts of grand larceny, as stated in a criminal complaint from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
On March 4, there was a theft at a Tiffany store located in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center complex. During the incident, an employee allowed the suspect to view multiple pieces, including a valuable diamond ring worth $255,000.
An armed jewelry store worker successfully scares away potential thieves, causing them to flee in fear.
Wan departed the store without making a purchase, and subsequently, the employee returned the ring to its original position in the display case. However, approximately one week later, during a routine inventory check, Tiffany employees made a startling discovery – the diamond ring had been substituted with a counterfeit adorned with a cubic zirconia stone.
After reviewing the surveillance footage from the store, investigators found that Wan was able to discreetly slip the authentic ring into his palm and then proceeded to swap it with the counterfeit one, as stated in the complaint.
On March 12, Wan allegedly stole a diamond ring valued at $25,000 from a Cartier store in the Hudson Yards complex. He had requested to view several pieces of jewelry, including two engagement rings and two watches.
Wan was given the opportunity by the store worker to hold two diamond engagement rings in his hand. Taking advantage of the distraction, Wan returned one of the rings to Individual 2, but cleverly held onto the second ring before making his exit from the store without making any payment.
When Wan was arrested, he was found to be carrying identity documents that had a different name. It is worth noting that Wan is wanted by the authorities in New Jersey and Nassau County on Long Island for allegedly stealing an $18,000 watch.
An international jewelry thief, wanted by Interpol, was apprehended last week for allegedly stealing a $255,000 ring from Tiffany’s and a $25,000 ring from Cartier.
According to Fox 5 New York, Assistant District Attorney Eliana Ramelson revealed at his arraignment that he is also a suspect in thefts from Cartier stores in California and Florida.
According to the New York Post, in September 2018, it was reported that he also allegedly targeted a Tiffany’s store in Seoul, South Korea. During the incident, he managed to steal a diamond ring worth $330,000.
Wan’s lawyer, Amanda Barfield from New York County Defender Services, chose not to provide any comments when approached by Fox 5 on Monday.
The charges in the Manhattan cases do not qualify for bail.
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