Former Vice-President of Tiffany Steals $1 Million Worth of Jewelry, Faces Up To 30 Years in Prison

Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun, 46, was arrested in her Connecticut home by FBI after it was discovered that she allegedly stole more than 164 pieces of jewelry from the Tiffany's flagship store in New York. According to the Daily Mail, Okun could face up to 30 years in jail for taking jewelry totaling almost one million dollars. The former exec used to be the head of merchandise and product development for the New York store but lost her job in February due to "downsizing" even though she had been with the company for 22 years.

The New York Post reports that Okun allegedly snuck the diamonds out the New York store and resold them to a Midtown jewelry company. When she was asked about the missing items she reportedly said that she had left the majority of the jewels behind at the store and the others were either lost or damaged. When an official investigation began it was discovered that the items were resold for almost $1.3 million. Authorities said they believe she purposely chose items that were under $10,000 to avoid detection because she knows that anything over $25,000 is included in the company's daily inventory.

According to a complaint, the missing items were "numerous diamond bracelets in 18-carat gold; diamond drop earrings in platinum or 18-carat gold; diamond rings in platinum; rings with precious stones in 18-carat gold; and platinum and diamond pendants."

Her husband Robert Okun, who was not charged, is a hedge fund manager and the former executive director of the UBS financial services, the New York Post reports.

Okun is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday to face arraignment and has been charged with wire fraud and transportation of stolen property.

"Her arrest shows that no matter how privileged their position in a company, employees who steal will face the full consequences of the law," US Attorney Preet Bharara told the New York Daily News.

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