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JSA Says There’s Been a Spike in Distraction Thefts

New York—The Jewelers’ Security Alliance has noticed, and is tracking, an uptick in the number of distraction thefts at jewelry stores. An email alert sent out Thursday by JSA noted several such incidences across the country, starting in early August. ….

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Member of Gang That Targeted Traveling Salespeople in Texas Sentenced

Dallas—One member of a five-person gang that was targeting traveling jewelry salespeople in Texas a few years ago was sentenced in federal court last week.
U.S. District Judge David Godbey sentenced 35-year-old Robert Riveros to 22 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to robbery and firearms charges. …

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Diamond thief, 33, who was part of gang jailed for duping jewellers with Monopoly cash in £7million scam is fighting extradition to Germany after ‘stealing gems from house’

A diamond thief who was jailed for his involvement in a £7million scam which saw jewellers tricked with Monopoly money is fighting extradition to Germany.
Bruno Nikolic, 33, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was sent to jail for his part in the fraud which saw a group of con artists use toy money hidden among real euro notes during high-value deals. …

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3 ‘traveling distraction burglars’ caught by South Florida deputies

Three men posing as landscapers, contractors and utility workers to prey on victims in Florida were arrested Wednesday afternoon after an apparent distraction burglary, authorities said.
Nikko Gigolo Thompson, 28, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, John Eric Thompson Jr., 29, also of Fort Lauderdale, and Tom Bimbo, 56, of Cleveland, were each charged with single counts of occupied burglary and grand theft, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office…..

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A Louis Vuitton Employee is at the Center of $15 Million-Plus Counterfeit Bust

Chinese police recently busted a counterfeiting scheme in Shanghai, one that has ensnared at least one of luxury brand Louis Vuitton’s own employees. In August, authorities in Shanghai arrested dozens of individuals and seized an array of equipment, textiles, and fake Louis Vuitton bags in connection with a sweeping – and particularly upscale – counterfeit manufacturing operation that boasted the cooperation of a Louis Vuitton sales associate,….

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Sicilian mafia boss bites off prison guard’s finger

A Sicilian mafia boss serving a life sentence bit off and swallowed a prison guard’s finger during an altercation, according to an Italian news report. Giuseppe Fanara, 60, who was serving a life sentence at Rebibbia prison in Rome, attacked seven guards in June when they came to inspect his cell, the daily Il Messagero reported.

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‘This is war’: Italy’s top anti-mafia prosecutor opens case against 450 suspected gangsters

Italy’s top anti-Mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, 62, is finalising a legal case against 450 members of the ‘Ndrangheta crime family. On Friday, the prosecutor, who has spent the past 30 years living under close police protection as he is major target for Mafia crime families, opened his latest court case against the syndicate.

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JSA Issues Warning About Rise in Grab-and-Run Thefts

New York — The Jewelers’ Security Alliance said there has been a recent surge in grab-and-run thefts by masked suspects.
The incidents, profiled in JSA’s newsletter on Thursday, happened between Aug. 22 and Sept. 7 across four states: California, New Jersey, Ohio and Oklahoma….

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Feds Charge Romanians With Stealing Jewelry, Cash in Three States

Two Romanian men have been charged in federal court with interstate transportation of stolen property after being caught in a fraudulent return scam of diamond jewelry and a quick change scheme.
… But a fingerprint scan showed he was Serban who belonged to the Romanian Rostas criminal organization, according to the criminal complaint….

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Ringleader of Robbery Crew Gets 4 Years Behind Bars

Santa Ana, Calif.—The ringleader of a robbery crew that targeted traveling jewelry salespeople and caused at least $835,00 in losses has been handed his prison sentence. ….

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