Salim Sakal, a 55-year-old Brooklyn man, has admitted to participating in a scheme involving stolen jewelry from mall retailers across the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice reported that his plea was announced by United States Attorney David X. Sullivan and FBI Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien and entered during proceedings before Judge Kari A. Dooley in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport.
Between May 2023 and April 2024, Sakal, co-owner of the unlicensed Ramoun Jewelry in Corona, New York, engaged in transactions with an organized theft ring, primarily made up of Colombian nationals, involving goods from a series of burglaries totaling over $4.4 million in losses. While Ramoun Jewelry operated as a retail business selling jewelry and gold, court documents state that it was used as a laundering front for seven burglaries, and none of the stolen jewelry had been recovered by law enforcement.
The theft ring carried out burglaries targeting mall-based jewelry stores and kiosks across Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Virginia, with additional plans reportedly scouting locations in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Delaware. Sakal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell and receive stolen goods, acknowledging his role in these coordinated thefts.
Sakal has admitted to his involvement and agreed to pay $2,471,457 in restitution, jointly with others convicted in the case. He remains in custody on a $1,000,000 bond, with sentencing scheduled for April 17.
The investigation involved the FBI New Haven’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force working alongside local law enforcement agencies in the states affected by the thefts. U.S. Attorney’s Offices and FBI Field Offices across multiple states, from Florida to New York, also participated.
