CRIME OF THE MONTH
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If you have been a victim of crime please print the
following form and fill in the information and return to JVC in order
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JEWELLERS VIGILANCE CANADA
The Jewellery Industry Watchdog and Crime Prevention
Association in partnership with the RCMP
June 2006
|
3rd Subject Convicted in Shooting –
East Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill – January 16th 2000
A jury in Whitby convicted Giuseppe Marinni of
Toronto, on manslaughter and robbery charges after four days
of deliberation at the end of a three month Superior Court Trial.
All three suspects in this case have been convicted in the death
of 23 year old jewellery store clerk Niv Erez.
Toronto Star – April 3, 2006
Man Gets Four Years for Robbery –
Jewellery Store – Lasalle Boulevard – July 27th
2001
Marc McLeod, 33, pleaded guilty to armed robbery,
using a weapon in the commission of an offence and wearing a
disguise while committing an offence. He was sent to prison
for four years. Crafton Miller, the second man in the crime,
was captured within minutes of the robbery and was sentenced
to six years, but was given credit for 18 months he had already
served in custody.
The Sudbury Star – May 2, 2006
Man Pleads Guilty in Grab and Run –
Lynden Park Mall, March 11th 2006
Brett Cutajar of Keswick will be sentenced in
June 2006 for a grab and run that turned into a robbery when
he shoved the store owner out of the way.
The Expositor-Brantford – May 3, 2006
Suspect Arrested – Jewellery Store
Theft – Northumberland Mall – May 13th 2006
As a result of a Quinte West OPP investigation,
information received led to the arrest of a 31 year old Trenton
man who now faces a charge of theft over $5,000.00
0Port Hope Evening Guide – May 23,
2006
Anstett Robbers Sentenced – Robbery
– London, Ontario – August 17th 2005
On May 30th 2006, the two survivors of the four
masked men from Montreal who wreaked havoc and terror in a jewellery
store at White Oaks Mall, plead guilty to three charges of robbery
and were sentenced as the secondary players. With pre-plea time
spent in custody deducted, A. Roberts ends up with a six year
sentence and M. Czajkowski with four years and five months.
The London Free Press – May 31 2006
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May 2006
| Robberies – Peel Region, Toronto,
Halton, Ontario
May 18, 2006
The person of interest shown above is responsible for four
separate robberies from the jewellery counters at four popular
retail department stores in Mississauga, Toronto, Oakville and
Brampton.
The suspect approaches a sales associate at
the jewellery counter and asks to see some diamond rings. When
he is presented with the merchandise he passes to the victim,
a note which indicates he is carrying out a robbery and that
he is armed. In all cases, the sales associates have complied
and the suspect leaves the store.
The suspect has successfully carried out this
same method of operation at the following locations:
1. May 6th 2006 at 3:40pm – Erin Mills
Parkway
2. May 15th 2006 – Oakville Place
3. May 15th 2006 at 2:20pm – Bramalea City Centre
4. May 17th 2006 10:04am – Sherway Gardens
Suspect is described as male white, late 20’s
to mid 30’s, 5’7” tall, average build, with
a shaved head with some stubble growing in which appeared to
be brown. He was wearing a dark jacket, a grey hooded GAP sweatshirt
and blue track pants. It is believed that he is driving a stolen
2005 gold Dodge Caravan.
Anyone with information may contact investigators
at the 21 Division, Criminal Investigation Bureau at (905) 453-2121,
ext. 2133 or the 11 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau at
(905) 453-2121, ext 1133, or Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS/8477.
Article 2006-008
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April 2006
| DISTRACTION THEFT – OAKVILLE,
ONTARIO
ATTEMPTED DISTRACTION THEFTS–STONEY CREEK, ONT.
April 25, 2006
The three male subjects shown are responsible
for a distraction theft at a retail jewellery store in Oakville
Place, Oakville, Ontario on April 19th, 2006. They made off
with high end diamond earrings and a diamond pendant. The theft
has been reported to Halton Regional Police, Occurrence Number
06-28163. All three men are Caucasian and speak clear English.
The male wearing the white jacket appeared to be high on drugs
as he was “very hyper” and agitated. Anyone with
information regarding this occurrence is asked to contact Cst.
Miklos of the Halton Regional Police, Crime Stoppers or JVC
at the number shown below.
In the afternoon of the same day, April 19th, 2006, these same
three men attempted to distract staff in three different retail
jewellery stores in Eastgate Mall, Stoney Creek, but were unsuccessful.
Article 2006-006
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March 2006
| SPECIAL GANG ALERT for SALESMEN
and RETAILERS
March 20, 2006
There is a very well organized gang of 450
criminals operating in the US with HQ in New York, Miami and
Houston targeting the jewellery industry. We have reason
to believe that part of the gang operating out of Queens, New
York has moved into Canada. For additional information,
see attached March 2006 Bulletin from JVC entitled “Organized
Jewellery Theft Ring in Canada”. Members of JVC
have already received this Bulletin dated March 10th 2006.
- They speak with Spanish accents
- They are very well organized; spend a lot of time casing the
salesmen or the retail store
- They target people they think are carrying jewellery from
one location to another (retail store to trunk of car or home)
- They may puncture car tires and follow their potential victims
to another location to perform the robbery
- They have been known to commit crimes of “retail invasions”
in the US where 8 to 10 people enter the store at the same time
IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEING CASED OR FOLLOWED:
- If a group enters your store, or you believe
you are being cased, immediately call mall security or police
- If you think you are being followed, immediately go directly
to a police or fire station or at the very least, to a very
heavily populated public place.
REPORT ANY INCIDENTS TO JVC AT 1-800-636-9536,
FAX 1-416-368-5552 or EMAIL info@jewellersvigilance.ca
TO RECEIVE REGULAR JVC CRIME ALERTS, CONTACT
CARLA ADAMS AT THE PHONE, FAX or EMAIL INFORMATION SHOWN ABOVE.
BE ALERT, BE AWARE, BE SAFE.
Article 2006-003
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February 2006
| FRAUD – MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE,
ONTARIO
On February 6th, 2006, between 2:00pm and 3:32pm
the subject shown above used three stolen credit cards at three
different retail jewellery stores; one in Oakville Place, one
in Square One Shopping Centre and one in Erin Mills Town Centre.
If this subject enters your store and attempts
to use a credit card for payment, call Mall Security immediately.
He is described as male/white, aged 50+, well dressed, receding
hairline, mustache and glasses.
If you have any information about the subject
shown above, or information in relation to the three occurrences
listed, please contact Cst. Gary Hiebert, Halton Regional Police
Service, (905) 825-4747, ext. 2305.
JVC recommends that in order for jewellers
to protect themselves against chargebacks, they are required
to obtain authorization from the credit card company. If the
credit card does not electronically swipe, they must manually
imprint the card to prove it was in the store at the time of
the purchase.
Article 2005-083 |
January 2006
| THEFT – WEST VANCOUVER, BRITISH
COLUMBIA*
On Dec. 31st, 2005, two subjects, who are believed to have
been sitting on a bench outside a retail jewellery store in
Park Royal Shopping Centre’s south mall, allegedly entered
the store at approximately 5:00 pm and within 30-40 seconds,
forced open a display case and fled with a necklace. The sales
staff in the store was occupied with other customers at the
time of the incident. The occurrence was caught on surveillance
tape.
A description of the subjects is not available at the time
of this Bulletin’s publication.
The necklace is described as a tanzanite and diamond white
gold necklace valued at approximately $37,000.00.
West Vancouver Police are asking anyone who knows the whereabouts
of the necklace to call the Department at (604) 925-7300 or
Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS and quote file number 06-195.
*Information obtained from The North Shore News, Friday,
January 20, 2006.
Article 2005-080 |
December 2005
| YORK REGIONAL POLICE BUST A $3M
JEWELLERY THEFT RING
Five men and one woman have been arrested in
what Police suspect is a “large scale criminal organization”
targeting independent jewellery wholesalers in York region,
Toronto and Mississauga.
Police are seeking the public’s help
in locating a 7th male, Ismael Hernandez-Bernal, a 23 year old
man of Spanish descent who frequents the Toronto area. Anywone
who knows his whereabouts is asked to call police at 1-866-876-5423,
ext. 7241, or Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-TIPS.
An investigation began in May of this year
focusing on 15 separate jewellery thefts which occurred between
May and November. Det. Const. Jeff Bright of York region’s
Property Crime Unit states that “This investigation is
enormous. It’s still an ongoing investigation but it’s
not just ongoing here. We’re looking at least throughout
the province.”
He also stated that “(The suspected thieves)
were very specific about who they targeted and they put a lot
of work into it.” He added that the thefts weren’t
violent in nature and that they didn’t target (jewellery)
stores themselves, but the wholesalers and clients.
* Information for this Bulletin has been obtained from
articles printed in The Toronto Star, Dec. 1, 2005 and Dec.
2, 2005 publications.
Article 2005-068 |
November 2005
| ROBBERY – BARRIE, ONTARIO*
On Saturday, November 19th, 2005 at approximately 10:30 am,
a male suspect armed with a gun entered a retail jewellery store
at the Bayfield Mall in Barrie, Ontario. Unconfirmed reports
indicate the suspect fled the store with two diamond rings.
“While he (the suspect) walked into the
store alone, the man ran outside to the parking lot and got
into a van that police said was being driven by another man.
The pair fled away from the mall, and a few minutes later crashed
their vehicle outside an Oren Street home. The van had been
reported stolen.”
“The two suspects then fled on foot and
police began a search with the K-9 unit. Officers armed with
rifles continued searching subdivisions near the mall Saturday
afternoon.”
“The robbery suspect is described as
a white male in his late 20’s, about 6’3”,
190 lbs with dirty blonde curly hair that Police believe could
have been a wig. He was wearing a dark blue ski jacket, dark
coloured pants and a black toque. Investigators found a wig,
toque and jacket in the area of the crash.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Barrie
Police at (705) 725-7025.
*Information obtained from The Barrie Examiner,
News Section, Monday, Nov. 21st, 2005 edition. |
September 2005
| BREAK AND ENTER/THEFT
TRAVELLING SALES PERSONS – ONTARIO
While in Toronto on Monday, September 12th,
2005, Nadeem Ali and Johanne Seguin of Segali Gems Inc. were
victims of a break and enter auto, and theft.
Product of substantial monetary value was stolen
from their vehicle while it was parked at a fast food restaurant
in Toronto. They had positioned themselves in the restaurant
so that they had, what they believed to be, a clear view of
the vehicle, but the thieves managed to position themselves
at the side of the car that was not facing the eatery. They
had equipment to make a hole in the window of the car over the
door handle in order to gain entry to the vehicle. Toronto Police
have video tape from the restaurant and are attempting to enhance
the images in order to identify the thieves.
It is believed that the thieves had followed
them from Montreal. Their car broke down in Toronto and a repair
garage informed them that wires on the underside of the vehicle
had been severed.
The stolen product included loose stones as
well as high end quality beads, briolettes, dancing cubes, twisted
briolettes, twisted cubes, hearts and faceted tumbles. Johanne
states that most of her customers would recognize them immediately
as being product from Segali Gems Inc.
If any of our JVC members is presented with
this product, or has any information regarding this incident,
please contact Jewellers Vigilance Canada at the number shown
below.
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August 2005
ROBBERY/SMASH & GRAB –
London, Ontario –FOLLOW UP* August
26, 2005
Numerous newspaper articles have been published,
and several television reports have aired regarding the Smash
& Grab incident in London, Ontario, (Ref. JVC Bulletin #2005-052.)
To Summarize:
- Two of the four suspects involved in this
incident are now deceased, as a result of injuries received
when their getaway vehicle crashed.
- One of these four men (one of the two survivors) was deported
to Canada twice after serving time in a Florida prison. The
other surviving suspect also did time at a prison in Cocoa,
Florida.
- On July 25th, 2005 JVC sent a letter to Chief William Blair
of The Toronto Police Service, indicating concerns over the
violent robberies that had taken place in the Toronto area.
- Police are investigating whether these four Quebecers are
linked to six Toronto holdups, some dating back to February
2004, and one hold-up in Windsor, Ontario March 7th, 2005. (Ref.
JVC Bulletin # 2005-019)
- A Detective from Toronto’s Hold Up Squad said the two
forces discussed parallels between the Toronto and London holdups,
but Toronto police will have to wait until London investigators
work through an extensive amount of evidence before doing anything
else.
- A Toronto Police Constable remembers vividly, a jewellery
heist in Toronto’s west end in 1997, in which he was held
at gunpoint. One of the four suspects from the White Oaks robbery
was involved in this robbery. This suspect is now one of the
deceased.
*All of the above information has been obtained
from articles printed in The London Free Press, written by Kelly
Pedro, Kate Dubinski, Joe Belanger, Melinda Dalton and Randy
Richmond.
ARMED ROBBERIES
TORONTO & MARKHAM, ONTARIO
During the months of June and July, 2005, three
retail jewellery stores were victims of armed robberies.
The suspects who carried out the two armed
robberies in Toronto entered the stores wearing disguises, and
were armed with guns which were used to threaten store staff.
Display cases were smashed with baseball bats and hammers and
a large quantity of jewellery and watches was stolen. Details
of these incidents are outlined in Bulletins 2005-041 and 2005-044
produced by JVC.
The attempted robbery in Markham involved a
struggle between store staff and the two armed suspects who
eventually fled the store empty-handed. However, during the
scuffle, a gunshot was fired which went through a wall and into
and adjoining submarine sandwich shop. Details of this incident
are outlined in Bulletin 2005-045 produced by JVC.
Anyone with information regarding these three
occurrences is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-TIPS
or the JVC at the number shown below.
Jewellers Vigilance Canada has contacted the Toronto Chief of
Police regarding the recent increasing level of violent robberies
against jewellers in the greater Toronto area, in the hopes
of developing a greater police focus on these violent armed
robberies.
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July 2004
ROBBERY SUSPECT
Suspect for several robberies of jewellery
stores in Ontario during the past few months. The most recent
robbery in the Pickering Town Center July 13/04, during which
time he indicated he had a gun and forced the employees into
the back room and obtained a quantity of diamonds. On other
occasions he viewed diamond rings then produced a note indicating
he had a gun. For further information please contact JVC at
1-800-636-9536 or York Regional Police Holdup Squad at 905-773-1221
Ext. 7873. JVC has contacted Toronto Police in an attempt to
get a province wide crime stoppers alert released on this suspect.
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December 2003
A downtown St. Catharines jewellery store was robbed
Monday in a daring daylight robbery. Niagara Regional Police said
a man entered the jewellery store, on Lake St., at about 1:20 p.m.
Monday, produced a handgun and announced there was going to be a robbery.
He sprayed an unknown noxious substance at staff
and a female customer.
The suspect then smashed two glass display cases and took a quantity
of
jewellery. He was last seen fleeing northbound on Lake Street in a
red Ford Windstar van. The van had been reported stolen from the Fairview
Mall in St. Catharines the day before.
One of the store employees sustained minor injuries
and was treated at a local hospital. No injuries were reported by
anyone else.
The suspect is described as a white male, 25-35
years old. He is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall with a medium build,
and about 185 pounds.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked
to contact JVC or Niagara Regional Police, #11 Division, at 905-688-4111,
ext. 4272, or call Crime stoppers at
1-800-222-8477.
November 2003
On Wednesday November 12, 2003 a jewellery store
clerk in Edmonton was victim of a suspect who stole a $12,500.00 watch
and ran from the store with it. The clerk pursued the suspect who
turned and pointed a gun at him. The suspect told the clerk to back
off and ran into the LRT. The foot chase continued and police became
involved. Officers eventually caught the suspect and were wrestling
with him when the clerk came upon the scene. The sore clerk knew the
suspect was armed but couldn’t see the gun so he kicked the
suspect in the head. An imitation gun was recovered. The actions of
the store clerk have been documented and sent to the local Crown prosecutor
to see if criminal charges are warranted. The suspect, Edmund Cory
Beauchamp, 35, has been arrested and charged with the Robbery.
September 2003
On September 17, 2003 three men broke into a jewellers
home where he conducts his business. They tied him to a chair and
beat him with fists and guns. They then cut his arm with an exacto
knife at which point he gave them the combination to the safe. They
made off with over $200,000.00 worth of jewellery. Arrests have been
made in this case including the victims adopted daughter.
August 2003
On August 3, 2003 the Jubilee Fine Jewellers of the
Rideau Center was the scene of a second major robbery in three weeks.
Three armed masked men entered the store shortly after 12 noon and pointed
their guns at staff members.The men used a sledge hammer to smash the
display cases and stuffed more than $200,000.00 worth of diamond rings
and other jewellery into duffle bags. The trio made good their escape
to an awaiting getaway car.
June 2003
While it was business as usual at Jubilee Fine Jewellery
in Rideau Centre Ottawa one of the owners is still trying to shake the
image of an enraged man pressing a gun to her head. The image pales
when compared to the gut wrenching words coming from her 18year old
daughter. "Please don't kill my mommy," the teen tearfully
pleaded as she stood next to her mother.
Three masked men walked in around 1:30pm on June 15th
waving guns. They ordered the staff an customers to the floor and smashed
several display cases and grabbed $250,000 worth of watches and jewellery.
Two of the men fled to a waiting car and were chased
by police throughout the streets of Ottawa. They were captured when
the left their vehicle and fled through backyards. The third suspect
had been captured in the mall by mall security.
July 2002
July was the month for Break and Enters into stores
in Ontario. Thieves would break a door window leading into the malls
and then smash a window or door into the jewellery store. Once inside
the stores the subjects would then smash showcases containing watches
removing as many units as possible in less than 3 minutes.
June 2002
Avram Sufrin, owner of Richview Jewellers was confronted
by a man pointing a shotgun in his face. The gun man was joined by three
masked men with hammers , who smashed through Sufrin's display cases
and made off with a large amount of diamond rings and pendants.
May 2002
May has been distraction month in Ontario. Peoples
Jewellers in Windsor, Reeds Jewellers in Burlington, Mappins Jewellers
in Mississauga and Charms Jewellers in Ottawa have all been victims
of distraction crimes. The suspects in all cases have managed to get
staff members to hand them too many rings or staff have been distracted
and the suspect simply reaches into an open showcase and removes a diamond
ring without the staff realizing. JVC recommends that only one item
at a time is given to a customer and when showing merchandise the showcase
door should be closed.
April 2002
On Thursday April 11th two men entered the Birks Jewellery
store on Bloor St West in Toronto Ontario. One man was armed with a
handgun. Over $750,000.00 in diamonds was stolen from the store. The
diamond have serial numbers and can be identified.
On Tuesday April 16th a lone male subject was successful
in switching a diamond ring from a Jeweller in Mapleview Mall, Burlington
Ontario. A $10,000.00 diamond solitaire was obtained. The subject had
been in the store several times before making the switch. The subject
was described as Male white 60-65 years 5ft 7 or 5ft 8in. Heavy set.
Salt and pepper hair with receding hairline. Heavy lensed glasses with
a French accent. Was using the name Jean Paul. Well dressed with polo
shirt and dress pants. Hugh gold and diamond pinky ring. He visited
many stores in Mapleview Mall as well as Limeridge Mall in Hamilton
Ontario.
On Tuesday March 12th, two men entered a jewellery
store in St Bruno Quebec. They went to a sales associate grabbed her
by the arm and took her behind the diamond counter. They ordered the
sales associate to open every diamond counter. The two men then put
the merchandise in a black leather bag. The subjects left the store
using a fire exit. The subjects chained the exit door so they could
not be followed. Both men were wearing masks and spoke English.
January 2002
A pair of bandits robbed a Cownasville Jewellery Store
leaving the owner tied up in the bathroom. At 12:40pm two men wearing
masks entered Bijouterie Populaire. They tied up the owner and loaded
rings chains and bracelets into a van. They also cut the telephone lines.
Anyone with information should contact Cowansville Police at 450-263-2333
December 2001
Charms Jewellers in 1000 Island Mall Brockville was
struck by a theft who admired pricey diamond ings. The suspect was described
as 6ft tall 180 lbs brown hair with a red tinge. He was wearing a yellow
hip length rain jacket. He made his escape in a blue or green dodge
van.
November 2001
Birks Jewellery Store in St. John New Brunswick is
offering a $2500.00 reward for information on an armed robbery at the
King St Store. The suspect desc. as a male around 30 to 40 years, 170
to 190lbs 5ft 9in to 5ft 11in placed the stolen jewellery in a bag.
The man had a reddish mustache and possibly a silver tooth.
Mappins Jewellers was robbed at gun point on the 9th
November 2001. As the suspect was fleeing the mall he was confronted
by a police officers. The suspect was shot during the confrontation.
Although the suspects injuries were serious they were not life threatening.
Police are investigating the possibilty that this individual was also
responsible for an armed robbery in the same mall in September.
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