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Sunday, March 8, 2015

OWNER OF JEWELRY STORE PLEADS GUILTY TO SELLING JEWELRY FROM ARMED ROBBERIES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
New York Jewelry Store Owner Pleaded Guilty for Purchasing and Reselling Jewelry Stolen in Armed Robberies

A New York jeweler pleaded guilty in federal court in Atlanta yesterday to two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property in connection with jewelry he purchased from an armed robbery ring and then sold in New York.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Horn of the Northern District of Georgia made the announcement.

Carlos Parra, 64, a resident of New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones of the Northern District of Georgia.  Sentencing is scheduled for June 3, 2015.

Parra admitted in court that he was contacted by a member of an armed robbery crew that stole over $100,000 in jewelry from a courier on Jan. 31, 2013.  Parra flew from New York, where his jewelry business was based, to Atlanta to purchase the jewelry from the robbery crew for approximately $16,000.  Parra admitted that he had dealt with these robbers or their associates in the past and knew the jewelry was stolen.

Parra further admitted to purchasing jewelry from a robbery crew in Houston in August 2012.  In that instance, the robbery crew stole over $500,000 from a jewelry courier during an armed robbery on Aug. 27, 2012.  Parra admitted that he flew to Texas to purchase the stolen jewelry at a discounted rate because it was stolen.  He later sold the jewelry in New York to wholesalers for a profit.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Gwinnett County Police Department, with assistance from the Dallas Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Laura Gwinn of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Dammers of the Northern District of Georgia.

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