NYC Jeweler Guilty of Laundering Money for Armed Gang
February 05, 23
(IDEX Online) - A New York City jeweler has been convicted of laundering money for an armed gang that stole high-value stole watches and jewelry worth $2m.
They targeted jewelers near their homes in New York and New Jersey in a series of assaults from October 2019 to November 2020.
Stanislav "Steve" Yakubov, 42, of Queens, New York, acted as a fence, selling on watches the gang had stolen, which included diamond-encrusted Richard Mille, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe.
He was found guilty after an eight-day trial of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, (maximum prison term of 20 years), and two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement agents, each with a maximum five years), according to a press release from Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Yakubov worked a jeweler at the Jamaica Colosseum Mall (pictured), in New York City, home to over 35 jewelry stores.
He falsely claimed he'd never purchased any watches from the robbery crew and that they were merely customers who had purchased jewelry from him in the past.
Sentencing will take place on 1 June.