BRIDGEPORT — A Queens jewelry store owner was sentenced to two years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to buying and selling jewelry stolen from across the country, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced.
The 55-year-old Brooklyn native, Salim Sakal, conspired with an organized jewelry theft ring of Colombian nationals, according to court documents and statements made in court.
Sakal was the co-owner of Ramoun Jewelry, located in Corona, New York, which sold fine jewelry to retail customers. The store purchased jewelry from a third-party theft ring that burglarized malls and kiosks in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Virginia. Sakal worked with the organized theft ring to receive, store and sell jewelry stolen in seven burglaries between August 2023 and April 2024…