Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Jr. acknowledged 41-year-old Manashe Sezanayev of Queens, New York, was indicted in New York State Supreme Courtroom on two counts of second-degree grand larceny, one rely of first-degree scheme to defraud—every felonies—along with three counts of third-degree felony possession of a solid instrument, a misdemeanor.
Sezanayev, larger usually referred to as “Mike,” operates Rachel’s Diamonds (a.okay.a. Rachel’s Lab Grown Diamonds) on Manhattan’s forty seventh Highway.
In response to courtroom docket paperwork and statements made on the file in courtroom docket, on Feb. 5, a diamond service supplier acquired right here to Sezanayev’s office with two pure diamonds Sezanayev claimed to be involved about looking for.
The stones have been valued at roughly $185,000 and $75,000.
When Sezanayev turned his once more to the seller to weigh the stones on the scale, he allegedly swapped them out for two lab-grown diamonds that had been recut to mimic the pure diamonds’ weight and top quality.
The lab-grown diamonds, which can be value significantly decrease than their pure counterparts, moreover had been fraudulently inscribed with report numbers for pure diamonds graded by the Gemological Institute of America.
Sezanayev allegedly pulled off one different swap the following month, in keeping with courtroom docket information.
On March 27, Sezanayev suggested one different diamond service supplier that he had a purchaser involved about shopping for a diamond valued at about $200,000.
Sezanayev then allegedly purchased a lab-grown diamond that was recut to mimic the $200,000 pure diamond and inscribed with a fraudulent GIA report amount.
The following week, on April 2, the service supplier met with Sezanayev and his purported purchaser and Sezanayev examined the diamond.
It was solely later that the service supplier found that the diamond Sezanayev returned to him was a lab- grown stone, in keeping with courtroom docket information.
Sezanayev has pleaded not accountable throughout the case and his authorized skilled, Queens-based Boris Nektalov, suggested Nationwide Jeweler on Tuesday that his shopper is “awaiting his day in courtroom docket.”
Inside the press launch saying Sezanayev’s indictment, the Manhattan DA’s office thanked every the New York Police Division and GIA for aiding throughout the investigation.
A GIA spokesman acknowledged Tuesday, “We’re grateful that we have now been ready to assist the Manhattan District Lawyer’s office with the investigation … For a number of years, GIA has provided teaching and investigation assist to regulation enforcement throughout the U.S. and world huge. That is part of our mission to protect consumers and our work to meet the commerce’s needs.”
He moreover well-known that together with the GIA iD100, the lab’s desktop diamond tester, the lab affords 4 suppliers to match a unfastened diamond to its GIA report.
They’re: GIA Report Check; GIA Report Affirmation Service, which grew to turn into accessible the least bit GIA labs earlier this yr; GIA Match iD, an inscription viewing instrument that makes use of AI; and the lab’s Change Service, by which GIA-graded diamonds could also be submitted for re-evaluation.