Man posing as Magic player rep allegedly swallowed $769K in stolen jewelry
A man posing as a representative for an Orlando Magic player is accused of swallowing over $700,000 worth of jewelry in a robbery attempt.
Jaythan Gilder, a 32-year-old resident of Houston, allegedly walked into a Tiffany & Co. jewelry store in an Orlando mall Feb. 26 and told staff his name was Shawn and he was there to negotiate a sale on behalf of an unidentified Magic player, Kerry Breen of CBS News reports.
Gilder was brought into the store's VIP room to complete the transaction for the merchandise, which included a diamond ring valued at $587,000 and two pairs of diamond earrings worth a combined $769,500, according to court documents viewed by CBS News. Gilder then allegedly grabbed the jewelry and fled the store, assaulting an employee in the process.
The diamond ring was dropped during the scuffle, but Gilder allegedly had both pairs of earrings on him when he took off in a blue 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander.
Gilder's vehicle was pulled over by highway patrol later that day and officials discovered earring forms and Tiffany & Co. price tags on the floor. Gilder allegedly swallowed several items and was heard saying, "I should have thrown them out the window" by the officers transporting him to jail.
A live scan conducted at the jail showed several foreign objects in Gilder's stomach, which police suspect are the stolen earrings. It's not known if the earrings have since been recovered.
Gilder was charged with grand theft in the first degree and robbery with a mask, as he was wearing items that attempted to conceal his identity.