Heist with a sleight: Con man swipes $260K in diamonds; pleads guilty in Tiffany-Cartier theft case
After years of international crime, a 50-year-old Queens jewel thief has entered a guilty plea to stealing over $260,000 worth of diamond rings from Tiffany & Co. and Cartier, employing deception, sleight of hand, and fake jewelry.
Yaorong Wan acknowledged stealing expensive goods from the upscale Fifth Avenue shops of the luxury merchants in March of last year during his appearance before the Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday. At Tiffany's flagship shop, Wan utilized distraction methods and a phony ring to switch out a $225,000 diamond ring.
According to the New York Post, Wan visited the Tiffany store last year and asked about many pieces of jewelry, according to the prosecution.
The DA claims that he left without buying anything after exchanging the real platinum-mounted ring for a cubic zirconia imitation.
A little more than a week later, he hit Cartier once more while distracting workers and pocketing a $24,000 ring. Wan looked at two watches and two engagement rings at the Cartier store in Hudson Yards, but he pocketed one of the rings while the salesperson was preoccupied.
According to authorities, Wan's methods—rapid, deft hand movements, deception, and the calculated use of imitation jewelry—are typical of the upscale thefts that brought him notorious fame throughout the world.
Wan has a transcontinental criminal past. He has been connected to similar instances in New Jersey, California, Florida, and South Korea. Previously, Interpol wanted him in connection with a $330,000 diamond heist in South Korea. According to law enforcement officials, he committed robberies with the dexterity of a magician, targeting both smaller independent jewelers and international luxury names.
Using a sleight-of-hand maneuver, Wan allegedly stole a Chopard watch worth over $17,000 from London Jewelers in the Manhasset neighborhood of Nassau County in April of last year.
In 2018, Wan is also accused of stealing jewels valued at $332,000 in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
A
fter a joint NYPD, Nassau County Police, and US Marshals investigation, Wan was taken into custody at his Flushing, Queens, residence in May of last year. Officers found other stolen items during the arrest, including the $17,000 Chopard watch that had been reported missing from the jewelry store on Long Island.
Wan entered a guilty plea to second-degree grand larceny and was detained without bail because of pending warrants in other jurisdictions. He could spend three to nine years in New York State jail when he is sentenced on July 14, 2025.
In a statement announcing the plea, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, "This defendant stole hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of high-end jewelry using deceptive sleight-of-hand techniques."
"We've stopped his worldwide theft operation because law enforcement agencies worked together."
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