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Nine-Man Band of Thieves Charged With Robbing 10 Jewelry Stores of $6 Million in Goods

Published

10 years ago

June 21, 2016

INSTORE Staff

The ringleaders recruited financially desperate men for their cause.

Nine men have been accused of carrying out 10 smash-and-grab robberies across Southern California in which they stole $6 million in jewelry, the Daily Breeze reports. The article says the masked men pointed guns at employees and customers and shattered display cases with hammers before grabbing expensive jewelry and watches. Authorities said the ringleaders of the operation “recruited young, financially desperate men to carry out the robberies, promising them huge sums of money, but later paying significantly less.” Seven of the men have already been arrested, with two remaining at large.

Read more at the Daily Breeze

Honoring a Legacy: How Smith & Son Jewelers Exceeded Every Goal With Wilkerson

When Andrew Smith decided to close the Springfield, Massachusetts location of Smith & Son Jewelers, the decision came down to family. His father was retiring after 72 years in the business, and Andrew wanted to spend more time with his children and soon-to-arrive grandchildren. For this fourth-generation jeweler whose great-grandfather founded the company in 1918, closing the 107-year-old Springfield location required the right partner. Smith chose Wilkerson, and the experience exceeded expectations from start to finish. "Everything they told me was 100% true," Smith says. "The ease and use of all their tools was wonderful." The consultants' knowledge and expertise proved invaluable. Smith and his father set their own financial goal, but Wilkerson proposed three more ambitious targets. "We thought we would never make it," Smith explains. "We were dead wrong. We hit our first goal, second goal and third goal. It was amazing." Smith's recommendation is emphatic: "I would never be able to do what they did by myself."