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UPDATE: Paris, France- Five more arrested in Louvre heist investigation as stolen crown jewels worth $102M still missing

Paris, France – Five more suspects have been arrested in connection with the daring daytime heist of the French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum, French investigators announced Thursday, though the priceless treasures remain missing.

Police carried out the arrests in separate operations across Paris and neighboring areas, including the Seine-Saint-Denis region, prosecutor Laure Beccuau told RTL radio. The identities of the suspects have not been released.

One of the newly arrested individuals is suspected of being part of the four-person team that stormed the Louvre Apollo Gallery in broad daylight on Oct. 19, stealing jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) in less than eight minutes.

“Searches last night and overnight did not allow us to find the goods,” Beccuau said.

LOUVRE HEIST ADDS TO HISTORY OF HIGH-PROFILE MUSEUM BREACHES, LEAVES OTHER GALLERIES ON EDGE

People tour the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in the rain Monday, Oct. 27, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Two other members of the team were arrested Sunday and given preliminary charges Wednesday of criminal conspiracy and theft committed by an organized gang. Beccuau said both have at least in part recognized their involvement in the heist.

One suspect, a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France since 2010, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to flee to Algeria on a one-way ticket. He lived in the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers and was previously known to police for traffic violations. His DNA was recovered from a scooter used in the getaway.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau speaks during a news conference at the Paris courthouse Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, on the judicial investigation into the robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

The second suspect, 39, was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers. He was known to police for multiple prior thefts. Investigators matched his DNA to a glass display case that held the stolen jewels, as well as to items the thieves left behind, the prosecutor added.

BRAZEN LOUVRE ROBBERY CREW MAY HAVE BEEN HIRED BY COLLECTOR, PROSECUTOR SAYS

The thieves used a basket lift to scale the museum’s exterior, forced open a window, and used cutting tools to open display cases in the Apollo Gallery. They escaped with eight historic pieces, including:

– A sapphire diadem, necklace, and earring set linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense

– An emerald necklace and earrings belonging to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon’s second wife

– A reliquary brooch

– Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and elaborate corsage-bow brooch

Eugénie’s emerald-encrusted crown – set with over 1,300 diamonds – was later found damaged but recoverable outside the museum.

Louvre Director Laurence des Cars acknowledged a “terrible failure” in museum security. However, Beccuau said there is no evidence the theft was an inside job.

A police car parks in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum, one week after the robbery, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

In a direct appeal to those holding the missing jewels, Beccuau on Wednesday night warned they are “unsellable” due to their historical significance and urged their return.

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“Anyone who buys them would be guilty of concealment of stolen goods,” she said. “There’s still time to give them back.”

Article provided by Fox News, click HERE to view.

PRESS RELEASE- Lehigh Acres, FL- Jewel Thief Sentenced to Life in Prison.

Lehigh Acres, FL- This morning, jewel thief Juan Antonio Manresa Leyva, 55, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to life in prison for an elaborate jewelry store burglary in Lehigh Acres. He was convicted of Grand Theft Over $100,000, First Degree Burglary Causing Damage Over $1,000, and Possession of Burglary Tools, following a trial in September.

The defendant has an extensive criminal history of gem and jewelry heists along the East Coast of the U.S., as well as crimes across the country. He was part of a crime ring that targeted jewelry stores and pawn shops. They would commit the crimes in the same way it was done in this case, by cutting a hole in the roof, disabling alarms and cameras, and using torches to access the safe.

Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Abraham Thornburg and Circuit Court Chief Assistant State Attorney Stephanie Russell prosecuted this case involving the burglary of a jewelry store in Lehigh Acres on February 11, 2024.

The crime started in the overnight hours as the defendant and two other men gained entry into the building, by cutting through the roof. They cut through many layers of the wall, including the HVAC system and duct work. They then gained entry to the room that contained a giant safe and broke into the safe with a cutting torch. They pulled jewels out of the safe and tried to flee as law enforcement arrived. The store owners had seen activity on a security camera, that the thieves missed, and called 911 as the heist was in progress.

Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies, utilizing infrared cameras on a helicopter, captured the defendant, hiding in a nearby wooded area, after jumping off the roof.

The defendant was previously convicted in a RICO conspiracy case out of Clay County, Florida and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 2020 after serving more than 9 years. That case consisted of 21 jewelry stores and pawn shops that were burglarized in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Connecticut. Upon release he committed burglary and grand theft in Sarasota County and was convicted of the crimes. He was released from prison in that case in August 2023. He committed these new crimes here in Lee County, six months after being released from prison.

Due to today’s sentence, he will now serve the rest of his life in prison.

Press release provided by Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director.

Pairs, France- Suspects arrested over brazen jewel theft from Paris, Louvre museum.

Police have arrested suspects in connection with the theft of France crown jewels from the Louvre museum, just as one attempted to leave the country, the Paris prosecutors office said.

Thieves last week targeted the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery in a brazen daylight raid, fleeing with jewelry worth tens of millions in a matter of minutes.

Scores of investigators have been involved in chasing down those suspected of the heist, which Louvre director Laurence des Cars called a “terrible failure. Last week, des Cars admitted to the French Senate that no security cameras were monitoring the gallery second-floor balcony when the thieves broke in using an angle grinder.

French media first broke the news of the arrests, with CNN affiliate BFMTV reporting that two men in their thirties and known to police were detained on Saturday evening local time.

Authorities were able to track down the individuals after analyzing more than 150 samples of DNA left at the scene, BFMTV reported. Both men are from the Parisian suburb of Aubervilliers, where one of them was arrested, it added, while two others suspected of being involved in the heist remain at large.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that “one of the men arrested was preparing to leave the territory from Roissy airport,” also known as Charles de Gaulle airport, near Paris. BFMTV reported, citing sources, that he was arrested during a passport check before he could board an evening flight to Algeria.

The stolen jewels – comprising nine items including an emerald necklace set among more than 1,000 diamonds gifted by Napoleon to his second wife – were not recovered when the two arrests were made, BFMTV said.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nu congratulated the investigators for the arrests, who he said “have worked tirelessly, as I asked them to, and who have always had my full confidence.

Thieves raided the Apollo Gallery on the Louvre’s upper floor last weekend, which houses the French Crown Jewels. They used a truck-mounted ladder to gain access to the gallery, one of the most ornate rooms in the museum, through a window.

In the course of a seven-minute heist, they broke into two high-security display cases and stole nine items, according to France’s culture ministry. Among the items taken was a diamond and sapphire jewelry set including a tiara and necklace worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense.

The jewelry taken from the museum is estimated to be worth 88 million euros ($102 million), Beccuau previously told French radio station RTL. Around 100 investigators have been involved in the manhunt to track down those responsible for the heist, she said.

Following the daylight robbery, French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin admitted that the heist exposed security failings at France’s most famous museum.

“One can wonder about the fact that, for example, the windows hadn’t been secured, about the fact that a basket lift was on a public road,” he said on France Inter radio. “What is certain is that we have failed.”

Paris, France – Where the jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum might end up.

NEW YORK (AP)  Just days after a stunning heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, speculation is growing around where the lavish, stolen jewels that once adorned Frances royals might end up.

A handful of experts warn that the artifacts valued at more than $100 million (88 million euros) could soon if not already be melted or broken into parts. If done successfully, some say those smaller pieces could later go up for sale as part of a new necklace, earrings or other jewelry, without turning too many heads.

“You don’t even have to put them on a black market, you just put them in a jewelry store, said Erin Thompson, an art crime professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. “It could be sold down the street from the Louvre.

Thompson and others say that this has become increasingly common with stolen jeweled and metal goods, noting that it’s a way thieves can try to cover their tracks and make money. It’s not like someone could publicly wear one of France’s Crown Jewels stolen on Sunday Ã¢â‚¬â€ and finding a market to sell the full artifacts would be incredibly difficult after “everyone and their sister” has seen photos of them over the last week, said Christopher Marinello, a lawyer and founder of Art Recovery International.

The jewels may be hard to monetize

“By breaking them apart, they will hide their theft,” Marinello said, adding that these items could become even more “traceless” if they’re taken out of France and through jewel cutters and robust supply chains in other countries.

Still, such pieces are often sold for a fraction of the value of what was stolen — due to their smaller size, but also because melting or breaking down high-profile items removes the historical worth.

It isn’t a simple process.

“The real art in an art heist isn’t the stealing, it’s the selling,” explained Robert Wittman, former senior investigator of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s art crime team. Wittman, who has since formed his own private practice, said that the individuals behind such heists are typically “better criminals or thieves than they are businessmen.”

Unlike others, Wittman is skeptical about Sunday’s thieves successfully monetizing the artifacts they stole from the Louvre — which include an emerald necklace and earrings, two crowns, two brooches, a sapphire necklace and a single earring worn by 19th-century royals. He notes the gems may still be identifiable by their clarity, for example, and gold that was refined when the pieces were made hundreds of years ago is not as pure as what’s typically in demand today.

“Because of what they are, there’s really no point destroying them,” Wittman said, while pointing to the risks of selling such high-profile stolen goods.

Scott Guginsky, executive vice president of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, a nonprofit trade association focused on preventing jewelry crime, also notes the age and quality of the artifacts’ diamonds. He suspects they’re probably not graded.

“It’s not something that you can move on the open market. It’s nothing that can go through an auction house,” said Guginsky, who used to run the New York Police Department’s organized theft squad.

Given the amount of preparation that the thieves likely put into this, Guginsky believes they have a plan for selling the jewels, even if they might first decide to “sit on” the jewelry and wait out suspicion.

“I can’t see them stealing it without having an idea what they want to do,” he said. “There’s always a person willing to buy stolen jewelry. No matter what it is, somebody will buy it.”

Sara Yood, CEO and general counsel of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, notes most jewelry businesses implement anti-money laundering programs and look out for red flags like unusual orders, repeated purchases and requests for secrecy.

Still, she and others say the age of some jewels — if broken down effectively — could actually make it harder to track. Newer gemstones, for example, sometimes carry a laser inscription inside that can be evaluated in a lab. But “because these are historical pieces, it’s rather unlikely that it has those identifying features,” noted Yood.

Experts like Thompson say bigger gems can be recut to a point that they’re unrecognizable. A challenge is finding people who have the skill to do that and don’t ask too many questions — but it’s possible, she said.

Whether the people behind Sunday’s heist had those contacts or certain buyers lined up is unknown. But it’s important to also note that “the guys who actually enter the museums are usually all hired hands, and they’re almost always caught in these cases,” Thompson added.

Chances of recovery look dim

She and others say that museums have increasingly faced a rash of similar thefts over recent years. Thompson notes that stealing from storage can go undetected for longer: the British Museum in London, which has accused a former curator of stealing artifacts and selling them online, is still trying to recover some of the 2,000 items stolen.

Some past thieves have made ransom demands for stolen artwork overall, or wait for a potential “no questions asked” reward from an insurance company — which can amount to about a 10% cut for some insured pieces in Europe, Thompson says. The jewels stolen from the Louvre Sunday, however, were reportedly not privately insured.

Sometimes government offers of a reward for information about a high-profile heist can also quicken the investigation, although the French government has yet to publicize such an incentive. If that changes, or promising leads are uncovered from the evidence left behind at the Louvre, experts like Wittman note it could increase the chances of recovering the artifacts.

Still, as more time passes, others feel that the fate of finding the historic jewels looks dim.

“I think they’re going to catch the criminals,” said Marinello. “But I don’t think they’ll find them with the jewels intact.”

Article provided AP News, By  WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and R.J. RICO. Click HERE to view article.

 

Colonial Heights, VA- GRAB and RUN

Colonial Heights, VA– On October 15, 2025, a Jeweler store was the victim of a grab and run theft. A lone male entered the location and asked to have his gold chain cleaned. An employee took the chain and placed it in the ultrasonic cleaner. While the chain was being cleaned, the male began looking at gold chains. After looking at several, the male agreed to purchase the three items. An employee took the items to the register and began processing the sale. During the transaction, the male asked if he could put the items on and take a picture. The employee handed the male both chains and pendant prior to completing the sale. Once the male secured the items around his neck, he ran out of the store. The police were contacted and report filed. No injuries reported.

Suspect(s) Description: Male, black, mid-to-late 20’s, 6’00”, thin build, wearing Khaki pants, brown flannel shirt, glasses, hat

If you have any information regarding this incident or information on this criminal, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org or 212-687-0328.

Phoenix, AZ- Distraction Theft

Phoenix, AZ– On October 16, 2025, it was reported that a distraction theft incident occurred. A male and female suspects entered the store where they were greeted by an employee. The male and female proceeded to both the tower spinner showcases and began to look at numerous items, while the employee was assisting another customer at the other side of the kiosk. The male reached inside the tower spinner, underneath the spinner’s opening, and quickly grabbed two items from the spinner tower. The male and female suspects fled and exited the mall. Mall security and Phoenix Police Department were notified and responded. No injuries were reported.

Suspect(s) Description:

1) Male, 25-30yrs. old, 5’4, 140lbs., Hispanic, brown eyes, wearing a black cap, wearing a black Arizona Diamondbacks shirt over a grey long sleeve shirt, black/dark denim pants, black and white shoes, NOTE: tattoos on both sides of his neck.

2) Female, 25-30 yrs. old, 5’1, 130lbs., Hispanic, brown eyes, dark brown hair in a bun, wearing a small backpack, wearing a dark red shirt, denim shorts and white shoes

If you have any information regarding this incident or information on these criminals, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org or 212-687-0328.

Arrests

UPDATE: Paris, France- Five more arrested in Louvre heist investigation as stolen crown jewels worth $102M still missing

Paris, France – Five more suspects have been arrested in connection with the daring daytime heist of the French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum, French inv …

PRESS RELEASE- Lehigh Acres, FL- Jewel Thief Sentenced to Life in Prison.

Lehigh Acres, FL- This morning, jewel thief Juan Antonio Manresa Leyva, 55, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to life in prison for an elaborate jewelry sto …

Pairs, France- Suspects arrested over brazen jewel theft from Paris, Louvre museum.

Police have arrested suspects in connection with the theft of France crown jewels from the Louvre museum, just as one attempted to leave the country, the Par …