VICTIMS ASKED TO SEARCH WEBSITE FOR STOLEN JEWELRY, COINS AND PRECIOUS METALS FROM BURGLARY RING EVIDENCE http://www.montcopa.org/JewelryWebsite

Jewelry website…. http://www.montcopa.org/JewelryWebsite

Press Conference …  https://www.facebook.com/LowerMerionPoliceDepartment/posts/1361949050549353

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kate Delano 610-278-3148

LOWER MERION, Pa. (March 16, 2017) — Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Lower Merion Township Police Superintendent Michael J. McGrath, Abington Police Chief John A. Livingood and other law enforcement personnel announced the creation of a website where thousands of pieces of jewelry evidence are displayed, allowing victims to look for their stolen watches, rings, bracelets, earrings and other items. If victims see their stolen property, they should contact law enforcement.

“These four defendants—Kebbie Ramseur, Jerrel Jaynes, Shron Linder and Ralph Mayrant—were involved in a corrupt organization that burglarized high-end homes, stealing money, jewelry and designer purses, then worked with jeweler Wasim Shazad to fence the jewelry,” said Steele. “When law enforcement served a search warrant on Shazad’s three jewelry stores and home, about 50,000 pieces of jewelry, coins and precious metals were recovered. We want to find the rightful owners of as many pieces of jewelry and other items as possible and be able to return them as soon as the prosecution will allow.”

The 15 charged burglaries were committed in Montgomery (8), Delaware (6) and Chester (1) counties in Pennsylvania. The five are also suspects in burglaries in Cherry Hill, N.J. and in New Castle County, Dela., outside of Wilmington. The burglaries were committed between 2013 and July 2016. The victims in the 15 charged burglaries suffered financial loss in excess of $1.5 million. The Montgomery County DA’s Office will prosecute the 15 burglaries that occurred in Pennsylvania. The charges against the five defendants include corrupt organizations, burglary, theft, robbery, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, among others.

“We believe these individuals may have been involved in additional burglaries, and sharing the jewelry photos and other photos is not only the right thing to do to help victims recover their property, but it also could help us locate additional burglaries tied to the defendants,” said Steele.

The website can be accessed at http://www.montcopa.org/JewelryWebsite or from the home pages of the Montgomery County DA’s Office (http://www.montcopa.org/da), Lower Merion Police (http://www.lowermerion.org/services/police-department) or Abington Police (http://www.abingtonpd.org). More than 1,600 photos are on the website with most photos containing multiple pieces of jewelry and other items. The evidence is organized on a spreadsheet with descriptions and accompanying photos.

If a victim of a robbery or burglary locates one of their stolen pieces of jewelry, they should contact Lower Merion Police Officer Cynthia Yoder at cyoder@lowermerion.org or 610-645-6238 and be prepared to provide the specific number listed in the name of the photo on the website, a brief description of the item and its location on the website. Victims who reach out to Officer Yoder will also have to provide evidence that the jewelry item belongs to them in terms of the name of the police department that investigated the burglary/incident. “I want to caution dishonest people about making false claims to this jewelry if it is not yours. That is illegal, and if you do, you will be prosecuted for making false reports to law enforcement,” said Steele.

The defendants were arrested and charged after a lengthy investigation that involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including police from Abington Township, Lower Merion Township and Whitemarsh Township in Montgomery County; Marple Township, Media, Newtown Square, Radnor Township in Delaware County; and Kennett Square in Chester County; as well as the New Castle County, Delaware Detective Bureau and Cherry Hill, N.J. Police.

Approved for release:
Kevin R. Steele

CRIMINAL CHARGES, AND ANY DISCUSSION THEREOF, ARE MERELY ALLEGATIONS AND ALL DEFENDANTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL AND UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY.