La Verne, CA – On July 1st, 2023, four subjects rammed a car into a jewelry store. One of the subjects used a 30 lb chair to assault the store’s owner. The other subjects smashed into display cases and then escaped with jewelry worth a high monetary value.
Video footage and news clips about the robbery are below. If you have any information regarding these subjects, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org.
Picture of robbery throwing a chair at the jeweler.
Mexico City, Mexico – On the evening of June 26, 2023, four male subjects used sledgehammers and axes to smash windows while they committed a smash-and-grab robbery. The subjects stole 15 high-end watches before they fled from the shopping center on motorcycles.
The crime reportedly took place at an upscale shopping center. A video of the crime can be viewed below.
Mexico’s Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch, tweeted on June 28th, stating that one suspect has been arrested after an overnight operation.
Asalto en Antara: cuatro ladrones roban con mazos una joyerÃÂa en un centro comercial de Ciudad de México. El espectacular robo se llevó a cabo en Polanco cuando todavÃÂa habÃÂa clientes. No se han registrado heridos, según el alcalde
— EL PAÃÂS México (@elpaismexico) June 27, 2023
🔗https://t.co/iP4ZARhN78 pic.twitter.com/LNRKq8Vw7Y
The image above was shared by Chief Harfuch and depicts one of the arrested robbers.
If you have any information regarding the other subjects that were involved in this crime, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org or 212-687-0328
Annapolis, MD – A 32-year-old suspect named Julia Libby, was arrested on June 12, 2023, after she allegedly committed two robberies within a two-week period.
On May 31, 2023, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Libby entered a jewelry store and conversed with employees about jewelry. At some point, Libby lifted her shirt to reveal she had a gun, and she demanded jewelry. She fled from the store after she obtained jewelry.
On June 12, 2023, Libby entered another jewelry store and asked to see two watches. As the employee was about to present the watches, Libby tried to grab the items. The employee held onto the jewelry, which resulted in Libby showing a handgun underneath her shirt. The employee refused to give up the watches, and Libby then fled without taking any jewelry.
Libby was arrested later that day in another jurisdiction. She was found with a handgun in her possession. She is connected to at least five other thefts in Prine George’s and Anne Arundel Counties.
New York, NY – On June 15, 2023, Michelle Graff of National Jeweler published an article on the Jewelers’ Security Alliance’s 2022 Crime Report. Click here to read the report and learn about the crimes that afflicted the jewelry industry in 2022.
Rockville, MD – On June 13, 2022, a 32-year-old international gold thief was extradited from Lubbock, TX to Rockville, MD. The suspect, identified as Mircea Lucaci, had been wanted for stealing gold from a coin shop in August 2022.
Several hours after Lucaci’s arrival in Rockville, MD, he was released on a $350 cash bond. Watch the video below to learn more. If you have any information regarding Lucaci’s whereabouts, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org.
New York, NY – On June 6, 2023, five men were arrested in New York and New Jersey, for their involvement in two jewelry store robberies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and police have connected the men to the notorious Gambino and Lucchese crime families.
Representatives from the New York Police Department said the subjects wore construction vests to commit both of their robberies in Manhattan, NY.
In the first robbery on January 3, 2023, four robbers, including DiPietro, and 67-year-old Michael Sellick, targeted a high-end store that is known to have celebrity clientele. The crew held a clerk at gunpoint, stole jewelry, and ordered the clerk into a closet,.
The crew committed their second jewelry store robbery in Manhattan, NY on May 20, 2023. In this incident, DiPietro and Sellick entered the store. Sellick pointed a gun at the store’s employees and ordered them to the ground. At this time, DiPietro gathered the jewelry. The subjects then fled from the store and entered a getaway car driven by Samuel Sorce, 25. The subjects then switched to a second getaway vehicle driven by Vincent Spagnuolo, 65.
DiPietro had previously served a 19-year federal prison sentence in relation to a mob killing of a witness.
Click here to read a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding these robberies.
A news clip on the robbery is below:
Oak Lawn, IL – On May 22, 2023, three male subjects entered a vacant business that is next to a jewelry store. The subjects then cut a hole through the wall of the empty business, to break into the jewelry store. The three subjects waited until the jeweler had unlocked the store in the afternoon, and they then appeared from the wall with a crowbar and possibly guns.
The subjects demanded the keys to the safe and ordered the jeweler to get on the ground, however, the owner didn’t have the keys with him. The subjects eventually struck the jeweler with a blunt object.
As the jeweler was bleeding on the ground, the subjects reportedly stole items on display. They broke through display cases and stole necklaces, bracelets, jewelry, and loose jewelry and stones.
The jeweler was treated for minor injuries. The Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrests of these subjects. Contact JSA at 212-687-0328 or jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org. When you provide information, your identity will be kept confidential.
The subjects are featured below:
Watch the news clip below:
Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands, – On May 18, 2023, shortly before 2:00 p.m., the owner of a jewelry store was shot in the face during a robbery. Two subjects were involved in the robbery and then escaped with an unknown amount of jewelry. Police said the robbers will face charges of third-degree assault, simple assault, and grand larceny when they are caught.
The owner was transported to a hospital, but their current condition is unknown. No physical description of the subjects was provided.
Dresden, Germany – On May 16, 2023, a German court convicted five men for their involvement in the 2019 burglary of 18th-century jewelry located in Dresden’s Green Vault Museum. The suspects were sentenced to varying prison sentences from four years and four months to six years and three months.
The five men, ranging in age from 24 to 29, broke into the Greenvault Museum on November 25, 2019. In that incident, the subject stole 21 pieces of jewelry that contained more than 4,300 diamonds.
The suspects were found to have started a fire before breaking into the museum, to cut power to the streetlights, and they also set a car on fire in a garage that was near the museum.
The suspects were arrested months after the burglary. Law enforcement has stated that most of the stolen jewelry has been recovered.
Pictures of the stolen jewelry
Photo credit: “Some of the jewels stolen during the heist. Photo: Jürgen Karpinski/Grünes Gewölbe/Polizeidirektion Dresden via AFP”
Watch the video below to learn more
Tokyo, Japan – On May 8th, 2023, at approximately 6:30 p.m., three masked men entered a store that sells luxury watches. The subjects were armed with knives, and ordered five employees to “Get down on the floor, or we’ll kill you.” No customers were in the store at the time of the robbery.
During the robbery, the subjects smashed the store’s display cases using a weapon that was believed to be a crowbar or metal pipe. They obtained over 100 watches. The subjects were inside the location for approximately 10 minutes. They then fled in a white van.
The police managed to track the robbers vehicle later that day, which was approximately 1.9 miles away from the crime scene. Police located four men, who were then taken into custody. No employees were injuried during the crime. Smash and grabs of this nature have been described rare occurrences in Japan.
Video of the crime:
