There are nine professional sports teams located in the state of Florida.
The Florida sports economy generates more than $140 billion per year for the Sunshine State.
But police were stunned when a Florida man confessed to having nearly $800,000 worth of carats in his stomach.
Most people probably think of sunny beaches, warm weather, and Disney World when it comes to Florida.
But Florida is also home to a thriving professional sports scene and ranks among the top states with the most teams.
There are two NBA teams in Florida, the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.
The average salary for an NBA player in the 2024 – 2025 season was nearly $12 million.
With a minimum salary of $1.1 million, NBA players have plenty of money to spend around the town where they live.
One Florida thief recently tried to take advantage of this known fact to pull off a big jewelry heist in Orlando.
According to reports, a man went to Tiffany & Co. and claimed to represent an Orlando Magic player interested in purchasing $1 million worth of jewelry from the store.
The employee escorted 32-year-old Jaythan Lawrence Gilder to a VIP room where they kept several pieces of expensive jewelry.
But Gilder suddenly snatched up two pairs of earrings worth $769,000 and took off toward the door.
An employee attempted to stop him but was injured in the process.
However, they did knock a $587,000 ring out of his hands before he fled the store.
“Surveillance cameras captured the tag of Gilder’s getaway car,” Local 10 reported. “Tag readers detected it on the Florida Turnpike and Interstate 10 before troopers stopped him at Washington County.”
Gilder was charged with resisting arrest, but police were unable to charge him with theft because they could not find the stolen earrings.
However, once in jail, Gilder asked the staff if he was being charged “with what’s in my stomach.”
Police then made him take a medical body scan to look for the stolen earrings.
And the images showed what appear to be two earrings in his stomach, but police will not know for sure until he uses the bathroom.
“These foreign objects are suspected to be the Tiffany & Co. earrings taken in the robbery but will need to be collected by WCSO after they are passed through Gilder’s system prior to confirming,” the arrest report stated.
He is now charged with first-degree grand theft and robbery with a mask.
Apparently, Gilder has 48 outstanding warrants in Colorado.
In 2022, he was also charged with robbing another Tiffany & Co. in Texas.
Jewelry theft is a top concern for dealers, collectors, and others in the industry.
There were 1,621 crimes committed against jewelry firms in 2023.
Over $1 billion worth of jewelry is stolen annually in the United States.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
