Yaorong Wan, accused international jewel thief, accused of Manhasset, NYC thefts
Yaorong Wan has a "Red Notice" from Interpol. Credit: NCPD
An international jewel thief wanted by Interpol and accused of stealing about $300,000 worth of jewelry from Tiffany’s and Cartier in Manhattan has now been charged with pocketing a watch worth more than $17,000 from a store on Manhasset's Miracle Mile, authorities said Monday.
Yaorong Wan, 49, who is wanted for suspected thefts in South Korea and others in California and Florida, came under local police scrutiny beginning March 4. An employee at Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan observed Wan enter the store and inquire about multiple pieces of jewelry, according to an NYPD complaint.
The employee allowed Wan to hold and examine a diamond ring worth about $255,000. Wan gave the ring back to the employee, but only after performing a sleight of hand that switched the real one with an imitation, authorities said.
Wan left the store without purchasing anything, the complaint said.
On March 11, during a routine inventory of the store’s jewelry, staff discovered that the ring had been replaced with a counterfeit one.
One day later, Wan entered Cartier in 20 Hudson Yards in Manhattan and inquired about multiple pieces of jewelry, including two engagement rings and two watches, according to the complaint.
An employee allowed Wan to hold two diamond rings.
Video surveillance recorded Wan returning one ring to an employee but concealing the second ring, which was worth $25,000, and placing it in his pocket, Manhattan prosecutors said.
On April 19 at 12:04 p.m., Wan, 49, entered London Jewelers, on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset, Nassau County prosecutors said. While viewing multiple high-value timepieces, Wan allegedly concealed a Chopard watch valued at more than $17,000, and put it inside his left jacket pocket.
He then walked past all points of purchase without trying to pay for a watch, according to prosecutors.
Wan was arrested Saturday by Nassau detectives in Flushing, Queens, and arraigned in Manhattan. He was arraigned in Nassau First District Court on Sunday. Since Wan had a pending fugitive warrant from New Jersey, he is not bail eligible and remains in custody, the Nassau District Attorney's Office said.
He pleaded not guilty to all three charges, online court documents indicate.
Wan also has a "Red Notice" from Interpol, as he is wanted in South Korea for stealing from high-end jewelry stores, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. A "Red Notice" alerts police worldwide about internationally wanted fugitives.
He has been identified as the prime suspect in a series of thefts from Cartier stores in California and Miami, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. Prosecutors requested supervised release at the highest level, as Wan is known to travel both domestically and internationally, At the time of his arrest, Wan held identity documents with a different name, Wen San, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said.
New York County public defender Amanda Barfield and Nassau County Legal Aid, who are representing Wan, could not be immediately reached for comment.
An international jewel thief wanted by Interpol and accused of stealing about $300,000 worth of jewelry from Tiffany’s and Cartier in Manhattan has now been charged with pocketing a watch worth more than $17,000 from a store on Manhasset's Miracle Mile, authorities said Monday.
Yaorong Wan, 49, who is wanted for suspected thefts in South Korea and others in California and Florida, came under local police scrutiny beginning March 4. An employee at Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan observed Wan enter the store and inquire about multiple pieces of jewelry, according to an NYPD complaint.
The employee allowed Wan to hold and examine a diamond ring worth about $255,000. Wan gave the ring back to the employee, but only after performing a sleight of hand that switched the real one with an imitation, authorities said.
Wan left the store without purchasing anything, the complaint said.
On March 11, during a routine inventory of the store’s jewelry, staff discovered that the ring had been replaced with a counterfeit one.
One day later, Wan entered Cartier in 20 Hudson Yards in Manhattan and inquired about multiple pieces of jewelry, including two engagement rings and two watches, according to the complaint.
An employee allowed Wan to hold two diamond rings.
Video surveillance recorded Wan returning one ring to an employee but concealing the second ring, which was worth $25,000, and placing it in his pocket, Manhattan prosecutors said.
On April 19 at 12:04 p.m., Wan, 49, entered London Jewelers, on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset, Nassau County prosecutors said. While viewing multiple high-value timepieces, Wan allegedly concealed a Chopard watch valued at more than $17,000, and put it inside his left jacket pocket.
He then walked past all points of purchase without trying to pay for a watch, according to prosecutors.
Wan was arrested Saturday by Nassau detectives in Flushing, Queens, and arraigned in Manhattan. He was arraigned in Nassau First District Court on Sunday. Since Wan had a pending fugitive warrant from New Jersey, he is not bail eligible and remains in custody, the Nassau District Attorney's Office said.
He pleaded not guilty to all three charges, online court documents indicate.
Wan also has a "Red Notice" from Interpol, as he is wanted in South Korea for stealing from high-end jewelry stores, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. A "Red Notice" alerts police worldwide about internationally wanted fugitives.
He has been identified as the prime suspect in a series of thefts from Cartier stores in California and Miami, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. Prosecutors requested supervised release at the highest level, as Wan is known to travel both domestically and internationally, At the time of his arrest, Wan held identity documents with a different name, Wen San, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said.
New York County public defender Amanda Barfield and Nassau County Legal Aid, who are representing Wan, could not be immediately reached for comment.
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