OAK PARK, Mich. – Authorities have leveled serious accusations against a jewelry store in Oak Park, alleging its involvement in the sale of items pilfered during numerous smash-and-grab robberies across Michigan and beyond.
A complaint for forfeiture was recently lodged against Maro Jewelers Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, seeking the forfeiture of $172,380 in cash seized from the establishment.
In addition to the cash seizure, Maro Jewelers stands accused of participating in money laundering schemes by commingling proceeds from the illicit jewelry sales with legitimate profits. The store’s alleged collaboration with Brian Moore and Darrell Reed, both of whom have admitted guilt in robbery cases, has come under intense scrutiny.
A search warrant executed at the store in April 2021 yielded a trove of items valued at $148,996, including two diamond rings pilfered from Kay Jewelers outlets in Michigan, each valued at approximately $20,000, and a loose diamond valued at $13,240 stolen from a Jared store in Texas. Court records further indicate the recovery of a diamond taken from Kay Jewelers in Nobles, Indiana, in February 2021.
Court documents paint a picture of Maro Jewelers operating as a “fence,” a mediator who purchases stolen goods at a reduced rate from thieves before reselling them to consumers at marked-up prices.
According to investigations, jewelry heists spanning more than 30 locations between August 2018 and April 2021 have been linked to suspects largely concentrated in the Metro Detroit area.
In these smash-and-grab operations, typically involving two to three perpetrators, assailants would wield sledgehammers to shatter display cases and swiftly seize jewelry, including loose diamonds, before fleeing in a vehicle, often identified as a Chrysler, awaiting their escape outside.
Meanwhile, other instances involved a grab-and-go tactic, wherein one or two female perpetrators would enter a store, request to inspect a specific item, and abscond with it shortly thereafter.
Notable among these incidents, court records reveal a March 2021 theft at Zales in the Fairlane Town Center, where a woman made off with a white gold solitaire ring valued at $7,000. Investigators suspect the ring was passed on to a co-conspirator, who subsequently sold it to Maro Jewelers. The apprehension of this co-conspirator, found exiting the store with approximately $2,078 in cash believed to be proceeds from the sale, was swiftly followed by his arrest. However, the stolen diamond remains unrecovered.