Irvine, Calif. (Feb. 8, 2017) – The Irvine Police Department (IPD) has located a number of items a jeweler stole from his clients. Among the items recovered is an heirloom, 2-carat platinum diamond ring that had been passed down for generations.
On Feb. 2, Irvine Police arrested Daniel Cervantes, 27, who was accused of seven counts of grand theft at that time. The value of the items taken was over $40,000. One of four known victims, Nicole Sarber, shared her story with the public. Sarber’s boyfriend obtained an heirloom ring from her family with intentions of using it to propose marriage. He gave the ring to Cervantes, a jeweler who was a longtime friend, to clean and polish. Cervantes never returned the ring.
On the evening of Feb. 2, police received a tip from someone who had heard Sarber’s story on a local news broadcast. The caller stated that he was also a victim of Cervantes, but that he had been able to reclaim his stolen property. The caller led police to a pawn shop in Costa Mesa. Police visited that shop and located two rings from the original case, as well as another ring belonging to a new victim. Police also identified other items pawned by Cervantes and are attempting to determine whether any of those items are stolen property.
Photos of the property in question have been provided; a slideshow of the items can be found and downloaded at https://vimeo.com/203187431/2ca5f165cc.
Sarber has recovered her ring; the other items that were found are in IPD custody. “My mom and I cried with relief,” Sarber said after she recovered her ring. “We could not be more thankful to everyone who helped. Detective Kristi Valentine and Detective Alex Kim have been amazing through this whole process.”
Police continue to search for other victims connected to this case. Cervantes worked under the business names Diamonds Are Forever and Cervantes Jewelers. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Irvine Police Department Detective Kristi Valentine at 949-724-7188 or kvalentine@cityofirvine.org.
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