A high-ranking supervisor from a luxury jewelry brand is facing charges after allegedly pilfering millions in gold, silver, and platinum from his employer's vaults, according to federal prosecutors. Benjamin Preacher, 54, of North Attleboro, was slapped with money laundering charges on Thursday, having been accused of running an underground operation right under the noses of company brass since 2018.
During his tenure at the Rhode Island manufacturing facility of the unnamed high-end jewelry firm, Preacher, who was granted release following a court appearance in Boston earlier today, allegedly made off with a staggering treasure trove, offloading the loot to Massachusetts metal dealers on the down-low, prosecutors said. Per the complaint documents, this grand scheme saw the supervisor covertly arrange sales topping $1 million to just one Canton-based dealer, with the ill-gotten gains including hefty transactions as large as $50,521 in 18-carat gold in March 2020; $21,821 in 18-carat gold, along with "Platinum scrap" and "Sterling" in April 2021; and $30,939 in platinum by January the following year.
The string of thefts, which allegedly continued until the brink of Preacher's arrest, also saw over $177,000 in stolen precious metals sold to another dealer in West Bridgewater some transactions included gold sheets snatched from his employer which Preacher purportedly peddled alongside other golden scraps for nearly $21,000, the authorities contend. Meanwhile, caught red-handed, Preacher was allegedly ensnared by security cameras within 30 minutes of his March 1 shift, making off with white gold "flat stock" valued at a cool $2,200. A subsequent search of Preacher’s residence on March 14 turned up additional scraps of the precious metals, further ensnaring the seasoned supervisor in the web of his alleged deceit.
If convicted of the unlawful monetary transactions charge, Preacher could be looking at a 10-year stint behind bars, a fact hammered home by Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office who announced the explosive allegations—the charge also carries the possibility of three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the currency laundered, whichever is more, sentences which are at the discretion of a federal court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and related statutes, though it's important to note the accused remains innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
