A jewelry store owner in Knoxville, TN, recently received a call from a broker asking if he’d ordered $150,000 in diamonds.
He hadn’t.
The owner told police, who began an investigation, Knox News reports. Authorities set up surveillance at the shipping company’s pickup area and on Wednesday, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler announced the arrest of four people.
It’s believed that the individuals “had scammed the broker and used the jewelry store’s information to place the false order,” according to Knox News.
Authorities have not said where the diamonds originated.
Spangler said similar crimes have occurred elsewhere in the Southeast.
“These people are obviously involved in other cases and that’s why this case is going to continue for a while,” he said.
Arrested were Corey Smith, Ariana Jenkins, Quintaisha Torshe-Sullivan and Octavia Smith.
They were all charged with:
- Computer crime.
- Identity theft.
- Attempted theft.
Watch the sheriff’s press conference below.
Read more at Knox News