An international jewelry thief — previously accused of stealing from stores in South Korea and California — has pleaded guilty to using sleight-of-hand and other techniques to steal approximately $260,000 worth of diamonds from Cartier and Tiffany & Co. in New York.
Yaorong Wan, 50, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the second degree in New York State Supreme Court on Monday. He is expected to be sentenced next month to between three and nine years in state prison, according to a news release from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
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“Yaorong Wan used sleight-of-hand to pocket $260,000 worth of diamonds from two luxury jewelers,” District Attorney Bragg said in a statement. “New York is a global fashion capital, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep mom-and-pop shops and high-end retailers alike safe.”
On March 4, 2024, Wan stole a diamond ring worth around $225,000 from the Tiffany & Co. store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. He went into the jewelry store to ask employees about several items — one of them being the diamond ring. As he examined the ring, Wan secretly slipped it into his palm and swapped it with a cubic zirconia counterfeit. He left the store without buying anything, and an employee unknowingly put the fake ring back in the display case, according to the Manhattan DA’s office.
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A week later, Wan tried his luck again at a Cartier store in the Hudson Yards complex. He asked an employee if he could see multiple pieces of jewelry, including two engagement rings. While the employee was distracted, Wan only handed back one of the diamond rings instead of two. He slipped the ring, valued at around $24,000, into his pocket and walked out of the store once again without paying, as noted in the news release.
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In May of last year — two months after the thefts were committed — Wan was arrested and charged with two counts of grand larceny. At the time of his arrest, he had open arrest warrants in New Jersey and in Nassau County on Long Island, according to Fox affiliate, Fox 5 New York.
Wan also was a suspect in thefts from Cartier stores in Florida and California, and was wanted in South Korea for allegedly stealing from high-end jewelry stores, Assistant District Attorney Eliana Ramelson said at his arraignment, Fox 5 New York reported.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to Fox Business’ request for comment.
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