Serial jewel thief replaces $225,500 Tiffany diamond with cubic zirconia, NYPD says

A New York jewel thief swapped a diamond ring worth around $225,500 with a fake replica at a Tiffany store in Manhattan, authorities said.

Yaorong Wan, 49, has been charged with two counts of grand larceny for the March 4 theft at the Rockefeller Center location, an NYPD spokesperson told USA TODAY.

The Queens man also allegedly stole a $24,000 diamond ring from a Cartier store in the Hudson Yards complex on March 12 by concealing it with his left hand, the spokesperson added.

Wan was arrested on Friday and arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on Saturday, according to the criminal complaint filed by the district attorney's office.

Wan's attorney Amanda Barfield, a New York County public defender, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Thief used cubic zirconia stone to mimic ring

A week after the March 4 theft, staff at the Tiffany store noticed the $225,500 ring had been replaced with cubic zirconia stone, a manufactured gemstone that resembles diamonds, according to the complaint.

Surveillance footage from the store showed Wan allegedly slip the ring into his palm and replace it with the replica to imitate it, the complaint said.

Wan also has open warrants in Nassau County on Long Island as well as New Jersey. He is also a suspect in other jewelry thefts in Florida and California and is wanted in South Korea on charges of stealing from other jewelry stores, Assistant District Attorney Eliana Ramelson said at Saturday arraignment, according to ABC7.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday in New York City Criminal Court.