Ohio Man Charged In $7 Million Brookfield Jewelry Heist

BROOKFIELD,WI — An Ohio man was charged in connection with a burglary heist of a Brookfield jeweler that resulted in a $7 million loss.

Matthew D. Krueger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on November 3, James Patrick Quinn,55, of Youngstown, Ohio, was charged for his involvement in the July 12, 2016, burglary of Treiber & Straub Jewelers, according to a news release.

Quinn was charged on November 17 with conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, transportation of stolen goods, and sale or receipt of stolen goods. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years’ imprisonment for the conspiracy count, as well as ten years’ imprisonment on each of the stolen property counts.

The complaint said three disguised people broke into Treiber & Straub Jewelers, breached the store’s vault, and took a large quantity of goods and merchandise. The three burglars were captured on surveillance video. They cut communications lines and disabled exterior lighting and alarms to evade detection and forced their way inside the store, the complaint said.

The complaint said that Quinn and his co-actors conspired to carry out this burglary and to transport and sell the stolen proceeds of the theft in interstate commerce. As part of the conspiracy, Quinn traveled to Wisconsin on at least two occasions and returned to Ohio shortly after the burglary, according to the complaint.

The value of the jewelry, diamonds, watches, and other valuables taken was estimated at over $7 million, officials said.

The complaint said Quinn possessed and attempted to conceal materials connected to gemstones that were taken during the burglary, and that a smartphone belonging to Quinn contained location information placing the device in the Brookfield area in the hours before the burglary.

“As alleged, Quinn and his co-actors engaged in a sophisticated, high-stakes heist,” said U.S. Attorney Krueger in a release. “The charges resulted from excellent cooperation and dogged investigation by the FBI and its state and local law enforcement partners.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge, Robert Hughes said in a release, “The FBI has a long history of working with our law enforcement partners to investigate multimillion dollar criminal enterprises. I commend the efforts our special agents and local police departments in working collaboratively, interstate to bring those responsible to justice."