New York – It is the end of the road for a jeweller accused of laundering stolen luxury watches.
A jury found Stanislav “Steve” Yakubov, owner of a jewellery store in the Jamaica Colosseum Mall in Queens, New York, guilty of one count of money laundering and two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced on 1 February.
US District Judge Edgardo Ramos presided over the eight-day trial. Ramos will sentence the 42-year-old Yakubov on 1 June.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Yakubov agreed to buy stolen luxury watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of the watches were stolen from jewellers in Yakubov’s community, and some were stolen in violent armed robberies.
“Yakubov’s actions fuelled a year-long robbery spree that targeted nearly a dozen victims, and his conviction sends a message to the community that the purchase and laundering of stolen property will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
There are 10 robberies and attempted robberies to which Yakubov is linked.
The robberies took place in 2019 and 2020, according to evidence presented at trial and the superseding indictment.
On 3 October 2019, a jeweller in Long Island City, New York, was robbed of a Richard Mille watch valued at more than $150,000. On 25 October 2019, a jeweller in Jamaica, New York, was robbed of a Rolex worth more than $118,000. On Dec. 10, 2019, a Brooklyn, New York, jeweller was robbed of a Patek Philippe worth more than $160,000 and a diamond necklace worth more than $77,000.
On 14 January 2020, a jeweller in Rego Park, New York, was robbed of a Richard Mille watch worth over $500,000. On 16 February 2020, a jeweller in Jamaica Estates, New York, was robbed of an Audemars Piguet watch worth over $28,000. On. 20 February 2020, a person in Long Island City was robbed of a watch worth over $125,00.
Things cooled off during the early pandemic lockdowns when jewellery stores were closed, but resumed in June 2020.
On 11 June 2020, a jeweller in Hoboken, New Jersey, was robbed of a Richard Mille watch worth more than $81,000. On 6 July 2020, another Hoboken jeweller was robbed of a Richard Mille watch worth more than $180,000.
On 20 July 2020, there was an attempted robbery of a Richard Mille watch worth more than $180,000 from a jeweller in Queens.
Finally, on 2 August 2020, a Richard Mille watch worth more than $250,000 was robbed from a food critic and social media influencer in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
In all of these successful robberies, additional items were stolen, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
As for the robbers themselves, one of the men, Victor Rivera, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies between October 2019 and November 2020. Rivera used guns in several of the robberies, and in one he shot a victim who survived.He was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is asking anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of the stolen watches to contact them at 1-866-874-8900.
In addition to the money laundering conviction, Yakubov was also convicted of two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials.
The first count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and the second carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
