Ross-Simons Employee Arrested For Stealing $220k In Jewelry

CRANSTON, R.I. -- A Providence woman was arrested after more than $200,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from Ross-Simons headquarters in Cranston. Yanill C. Taveras, 26, faces charges of embezzlement.

According to Cranston Police, Ross-Simons reported the theft on January 29 after finding discrepancies while taking inventory. Jewelry was found in an office where storage is not permitted, and further investigation uncovered that several extremely valuable pieces were missing. In all, 121 pieces worth $222,152 were stolen.

Taveras, a former employee of the company, was identified as the prime suspect in the case. Investigators determined that she has recently pawned large amounts of jewelry at several different shops. Detectives were able to recover $105,650 worth of jewelry from the pawn shops, which Ross-Simons employees were able to positively identify.

Taveras was arrested on January 31 and charged with embezzlement/fraudulent conversion over $100. She was released on $4,500 bail and is set to appear next in court on April 25.

Investigators continue the search for the remaining missing jewelry. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Cranston Police Detective Hopkins at 401-477-5065, or by providing an anonymous tip through the TipSoft website.

Photo Credit: Cranston Police Department