International Jewelry Thief Nabbed After High-Profile Heists in New York

Yaorong Wan, a 49-year-old from Queens, has been apprehended following a daring theft of a $300,000 diamond ring from Tiffany’s in New York City, marking the end of his elaborate, globe-spanning criminal career. Wan’s series of high-stakes jewelry heists began in 2018 in South Korea and included stops in Beverly Hills before culminating in New York. His method involved intricate sleight-of-hand tricks to replace valuable jewelry with counterfeit pieces, deceiving store staff and evading detection until his recent capture.

In March, Wan executed an "Oceans 11" style heist at a Tiffany’s store in Manhattan, where he swapped a $255,000 diamond ring with a counterfeit piece under the guise of a shopping visit. His tactics included using a fake cubic zirconia stone mounted on 18-carat white gold to replace the original diamond. Similar strategies were employed in thefts across various high-end stores including Cartier and Hermes, accumulating stolen goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Wan’s arrest came after investigators linked him to the thefts through surveillance footage and store reports. He was found in possession of several stolen watches and fake stones used in the thefts upon his arrest. Despite pleading not guilty at his arraignment, the evidence paints a clear picture of a sophisticated criminal who traveled the world to carry out his thefts. Wan’s case is now proceeding through the legal system, with the eyes of the world watching closely.