A 50-year-old international jewel thief from Queens has pleaded guilty to using sleight-of-hand, misdirection and counterfeit jewelry to steal more than $260,000 worth of diamond rings from Tiffany & Co. and Cartier — ending a years-long global crime spree.
Yaorong Wan, who appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday, admitted to lifting high-value items from the luxury retailers’ swanky Fifth Avenue boutiques in March of last year.
At Tiffany’s flagship store, Wan used distraction techniques and a fake ring to swap out a $225,000 diamond ring.
Prosecutors said Wan visited the Tiffany store last year and inquired about multiple pieces of jewelry. He allegedly swapped the genuine platinum-mounted ring with a cubic zirconia fake and walked out without making a purchase, according to the DA.
Just over a week later, he struck again at Cartier, pocketing a $24,000 ring while diverting employees’ attention.
At the Cartier store in Hudson Yards, Wan examined two engagement rings and two watches, but managed to pocket one of the rings while the salesperson was distracted.
Authorities said Wan’s tactics — quick, skillful hand movements, misdirection and the strategic use of replica jewelry — are hallmarks of the high-end thefts that earned him international notoriety.
Wan’s criminal history stretches across continents.
He was previously wanted by Interpol in connection with a $330,000 diamond theft in South Korea and has been linked to similar cases in New Jersey, California, Florida and South Korea.
Law enforcement officials said he targeted both global luxury brands and smaller independent jewelers, executing thefts with magician-like precision.
In April of last year, Wan allegedly entered London Jewelers in the Manhasset section of Nassau County and used a sleight-of-hand trick to take a Chopard Watch valued at over $17,000.
Wan is also alleged to have stolen $332,000 worth of jewelry in the South Korean capital of Seoul in 2018.
Wan was arrested in May of last year at his home in Flushing, Queens, following a coordinated investigation by the NYPD, Nassau County Police, and US Marshals. During the arrest, officers recovered multiple stolen items, including the $17,000 Chopard watch reported missing from the Long Island jewelry store.
Held without bail due to outstanding warrants in multiple jurisdictions, Wan pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the second degree. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2025, and faces between three and nine years in New York state prison.
“This defendant used deceptive sleight-of-hand techniques to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of high-end jewelry,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement announcing the plea.
“Thanks to the collaboration between law enforcement agencies, we’ve put an end to his global theft operation.”
