I am a former Jewel Thief. I stole over 15 million dollars worth of diamonds and jewels up and down the East Coast. AMA!

Do you ever think the real reward were the friends you made along the way?

My most valuable heist was friendships

You son of a bitch, i'm in.

LOL

agree

Great question or comment, Yes, I have met some interesting and good people. I met some great men in prison. I never had that question. Thanks, check out my youtube videos you will see a lot.

Agree, such a great statement

What was your closest call without actually being caught? How did you get away?

You never know how close you got to being caught, my last robbery was a hairy getaway, I didn't get caught at the store but I did later with good police work.

What sort of mark down do fences give. You say you stole $15 million but what did you actually pocket?

Depending on what it is, you get about 30%

How did you "know" whether or not someone new was someone you could trust?

That is the most important part. Usually, you have something over them, they messed around on their girl, been with a guy, or something. Then it is all about reading their body language. People think they can do it, but freeze at the end. I am reading my book on YouTube and I just summarized that.

This is something I've needed to know. When you steal recognizable valuables do you steal first then find a fence, or do you do it more like contract work where you steal something because you already have a guy that wants it?

Any good criminal has an out for what he steals or don't steal it. I was offered to steal millions in artwork. Picasso, Rembrandts, etc. I couldn't get penny's on the dollar. It wasn't worth th erisk

Have you secretly kept anything...or wish you did?

No, most criminals do.

Did you ever wish you had stolen the chandelier from Tiffany's, since it's worth more than diamonds?

Then get caught by a girl, she's Tiffany. You fall in love, make love all night?

And then in the morning, the cops come and I escape in one of their uniforms? I tell her to meet me in Mexico, but I go to Canada? I don't trust her? Besides, I like the cold? Thirty years later, I get a postcard? I have a son and he's the chief of police? This is where the story gets interesting? I tell Tiffany to meet me in Paris by the Trocadero? She's been waiting for me all these years? She's never taken another lover? I don't care? I don't show up? I go to Berlin? That's where I stashed the chandelier you mean?

LOL Great scenerio

Forget the market value of diamonds; do you personally feel like those suckers are worth anything?

I think it is the biggest scam on the planet.

What's the LEAST exciting and interesting thing you've stolen. Toothbrush? Apple? Single sock?

People seem to think I stole their time the last time I did this.

Is there a retirement plan for Jewel Thieves? When enough is enough?

Never. John Gotti, famous gangster, once said if he ever saw one of us had a 401k plan or started saving up, he'd kill you. Saving up only leads to people ratting people out 'cause they have a way out of the crime scene. Once you're in, you're never leaving unless you're dead or go to prison.

That is the million-dollar question, we all are driven by adrenaline and there is never enough until you get old and get caught.

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

Never start stealing? Only do a few jobs and retire early? Skip the one that got you caught?

I would have stayed away from the crime scene altogether. Would've loved to stayed in the Coast Guard but I ended up hurting my back real bad during a storm so I couldn't stay.

How do you sell diamonds that you stole? I mean im not looking for tips but iv heared its crazy hard because they can be marked as stolen

A fence. The jewelry business is shady to start. They rob more people than me. They buy hot stuff all the time.

What led to the FBI going after you? We’re you part of a bigger operation?

Addition to: typically there is a court case that lays out the evidence against you, so if it was a snitch, a set up, etc this would be on display at court

They start to get a little curious of you when millions of dollars in jewellery gets stolen

Can my mom get her earrings back?

They were fake anyway ;)

The casing, executing through hawking and selling of - how accuratley is that portrayed in tv/movies?

That is pretty close. I used to sp[end a lot of time knowing everything. Right down to when the cops in the area got coffee and where. They didn't even know they were being cased and they are the cops.

How did you find buyers? We’re they small time buyers or we’re they large quantity buyers?

I had a fence. That is who gets rid of your stolen stuff

How did you end up getting into the crime life?

Like if I decided I wanted to turn to a life of crime I still couldn’t just do it because I don’t know anyone deep enough in that world, unless I just started holding up 7-11s or some petty shit that wouldn’t even be worth it

Being raised in the Bronx, when I was a kid, you're around that stuff all the time. Started off with sports betting at 13 years old and taking bets from the folks in my neighbourhood.

Did you get to keep any money from this heists after you got out of prison?

No, I was actually $67,000 in debt when I got out of prison.

Any tips for an aspiring Jewel Thief? Asking for a friend. :)

LOL Yea, don't do it. You will get caught. I was asked to do a score with someone and I said I would kill the whole team. He didn't realize I wasn't kidding. Three can keep a secret if two are dead

Where there any other thieves you knew who retired peacefully/ never got caught?

Yes, enough said

but 99% get caught or something bad happens. Looking over your shoulder your whole life is no way to live.

What got you into stealing?

I think the only answer is my upbringing. Not my family, my environment. I grew up around gangsters.

If you were in a literal food fight to the death, what food would you choose as your weapon?

Probably a salami and use it as a bat.

We’re you ever hired to rip someone off as part of insurance scam?

That was actually how I did my first robbery. A guy we knew, wanted me to rob his store so he could get the insurance money and I could get the jewels. I had to do it like it was a real thing so the worker didn't know and it seemed believable.

Did you ever do anything in VA?

NO, all around it. Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut

Have you ever raided a fridge in a place you were stealing from because you were hungry?

No, but that is funny

Were you concerned that being huge guy would draw attention? Any apprehension over gains in the gym in favor of staying inconspicuous in the jewel heist game?

My MO was that I was a construction worker/contractor so being buff isn't an unrealistic thing for those types of jobs.

How many times did you steal some jewels by performing acrobatic ninja moves while wearing an eye mask and a skintight black catsuit?

LOL only twice

Did you ever have to hurt anyone to commit the crimes?

Never, I had to threaten of course, but never physically hurt someone. I did do a lot of psychological damage and I reget that.

If you decided to get back into it, how confident are you that they wouldn't catch you again?

I would say there would be a good chance I get away with it for a while. It would all depend on how greedy I would get, I think that is the human flaw. Greed.

Nicholas Cage comes to you and tells you he needs help stealing the Declaration of Independance. Do you do it?

Are your crazy? Of course! He’s never failed.

How did you find a fence? Where they a friend? And how did you convince them to handle stolen goods?

Pretty easy in NYC and in the jewelry business. It is a shady business to begin with.

You said the FBI were "real good." What was the most impressive thing that stood out to you that they did?

Just their attention to detail and their resources. They've got about all the time and money they need to crack down on anyone. Especially with today's technology, it's hard for anyone to do any big heist without them catching you.

Have you ever downloaded a car?

Ha!!

What advice would you give to a 15 year old like me?

Stay in school. Do what you love and be nice to others.

Now that you are out, how much do you value your freedom and what do you do for a living now?

OMG, freedom is so precious. I try to work with kids and families to help young people not make the mistakes I made. I also want to change law enforcement. They need to start policing themselves or they are no better than the criminals they chase. It is all bs.

Did you make sure to steal from the rich?

I stole from wholesalers, although it was wrong, I know for a fact some of them made money on the robbery. They claimed more in insurance than I know I got.

Did you do all the casing yourself or did you ever farm that out? How do you go about not being noticed and what do you look for? Have always been curious about pi work.

I would target stores in plazas. That way you can just sit in your car. People don't know if you're waiting for your wife or just talking on the phone or something like that. It's mostly about confidence. If you believe you should be in a particular place, people usually won't question it.

So this might be a stupid question, but, if you had a time machine would you go back and tell your former self not to follow the path you did?if so what things in particular

Absolutely. I would tell myself, "you're going to miss out on priceless memories with your family and kids being raised and it's not worth the money or thrill."

Heya! I caught a vid where you broke down heists in movies, etc. While doing this sort of content, what do you keep in mind as to not be promoting others to follow in your footsteps?

Because, well, you do make it seem pretty interesting!

I can't lie, it is interesting and exciting, but I don't condone or encourage crime. The end result is always bad. If you think I am making it interesting, what does GTA V do? Everyone has the ability to make a choice, just make good choices.

Do you think the Kim kardashian diamond heist in Paris was a scam?

I called it on TV first that it was an inside job. I think it was proven that way already.