Heisting the Jewels

0:01 This is the plate of Irma Hin Capi.

0:04 She says she brought her ring to the defendant's jewelry shop to have

0:08 the diamonds removed and they switched them out and gave her worthless glass.

0:12 She can't believe the defendant would try to get

0:14 away with something like that and is suing for $1,000.

0:18 The value of the diamonds.

0:27 This is the defendant, Thomas Manino.

0:30 He says the diamonds the pliff were trying

0:31 to extract were so tiny they were barely worth it.

0:35 Regardless, they removed them for her, gave them

0:37 to her, and as she was about to leave,

0:39 she declared they weren't her stones, and told him she was taking him to court.

0:43 And so, here they are.

0:45 They're accused of heisting the jewels.

0:53 Okay, you'rema hinge.

0:57 No, no, no.

0:57 Right there.

0:58 Right behind.

0:58 Right, right there.

0:59 Right there.

0:59 Okay, that's perfect.

1:01 Okay, that's you.

1:02 You're the plaintiff.

1:03 Okay, you are suing Lotto Jewelry Incorporated doing

1:06 business as LJI Jewelry represented here by Thomas Manino.

1:09 You're the president.

1:10 Okay.

1:11 For one, are you the owner as well?

1:13 All right.

1:13 For $1,000, the value of diamonds you

1:16 say they have surreptitiously replaced with glass.

1:19 Tell me what happened.

1:21 Well, I went there.

1:23 I've been a customer for a while.

1:24 I bought a lot of jewelry for him before.

1:27 I thought it was nice people.

1:29 I thought I was dealing with decent people.

1:32 And he come up one day.

1:34 I make a name chain for my granddaughter right here.

1:38 Big.

1:39 I bought it from him.

1:40 I got the receipt.

1:41 I want to transfer the diamonds to that chain

1:44 name play that I bought for my daughter.

1:47 Okay.

1:47 What diamonds?

1:48 Uh the diamonds that he give me on the chain.

1:50 On the chain.

1:51 Back up.

1:51 Back up.

1:52 You start from the beginning.

1:52 There was a ring that had diamonds on it.

1:56 Yes.

1:55 Okay.

1:55 And so you wanted him to do what with the ring?

1:58 Take out the diamonds.

1:59 Sell the the gold to scrap.

2:01 Get the diamonds back.

2:02 That way I could transfer the diamonds

2:04 to a name plate that I bought from his store.

2:07 Put it to

2:08 How are you going to after the fact transfer diamonds to a name plate?

2:11 Where were you going?

2:12 You put it in the bottle.

2:13 You put it in the bottom of the name.

2:14 They usually use that a lot.

2:17 Okay.

2:17 All right.

2:17 So go on.

2:18 So you take him

2:19 and they take him.

2:20 But when I went for my diamonds, they could give me week and we slow down.

2:25 Come back.

2:26 So you brought him the ring to take out the diamonds

2:29 and sell the gold for scraps.

2:30 So scrap for you know just melt the gold.

2:32 All right.

2:32 So how much did they give you for the gold?

2:36 $80.

2:35 All right.

2:35 And then why didn't they just take What kind of diamonds are we talking about?

2:39 They a lot of there you got the pictures here.

2:42 Can I see the picture?

2:43 Yes.

2:43 Yes.

2:45 And this is George.

2:46 This is the ring that's on the left.

2:47 I can't hear you from a chair.

2:49 Okay.

2:49 The ring that's there that you're going to see

2:51 in the pictures in my left hand cuz it was my ring.

2:53 It was purchased for me.

2:55 And what kind of ring was that?

2:56 It was an engagement ring.

2:57 Looks like it was the guy's on one knee.

3:00 Okay.

3:00 You just waited a second.

3:01 I would have seen it.

3:02 So, was this your former engagement ring?

3:05 Yes.

3:04 And then he bought me a new one and I had given that one to my mom.

3:09 Okay.

3:09 And she had made the transition.

3:10 What kind of ring was it?

3:11 What?

3:11 It was a white diamond engagement ring.

3:13 It had the diamond on the top square

3:15 and then the rest of the diamonds around it.

3:17 All right.

3:17 And why were you getting rid of your engagement ring?

3:19 Because he bought me a new one, which in a rush I forgot to put it on, but

3:23 I have a new one.

3:24 I have Oh, he's going to see that big.

3:26 What did he buy you a new one for?

3:27 You're not even wearing it, you know.

3:29 All right.

3:30 In trouble.

3:32 Um.

3:31 All right.

3:32 So, were they diamond chips around?

3:34 Do you have the receipt from the original ring?

3:36 So, I could see No, because it was 5 years.

3:38 My husband wrote the letter which is here.

3:41 How much did the ring cost him?

3:43 He c he paid 900 for it.

3:45 Okay.

3:45 Well, that's interesting cuz your mother's doing for a,000.

3:47 But um

3:48 it's 1,200 something now.

3:50 12 and change the gold value now.

3:53 Well,

3:53 and this is what she received back.

3:55 Okay.

3:55 That was on my ring.

3:57 Now, why is it you don't stand there

3:59 and wait for them for them to detach the diamond

4:02 say she didn't got the guy who do remove the diamonds?

4:04 Then don't give the ring then.

4:06 Well, I trust I've been doing business.

4:07 Look how many business I did with them.

4:09 Okay.

4:09 So, I told the first lady.

4:14 Okay.

4:13 So, you you say that there was one large stone.

4:16 There wasn't a bunch of little chips like

4:18 this that there was one large stone in the middle.

4:21 All right.

4:21 So, you come back on what day?

4:25 Like, well, I come back.

4:26 She told me come back Monday, the following day, the week.

4:30 Come back Monday.

4:30 I went Monday.

4:32 She tells me she don't find my diamonds.

4:34 She call the place that say they looking for it.

4:39 Then I go back again.

4:41 The same story.

4:42 Then I went back again.

4:43 The same story.

4:45 Then until the end, I guess he he gets tired of me.

4:48 He gave me scrap.

4:50 How long were you asking for the ring before you got these little pieces?

4:53 Like a month.

4:54 Did when you came to the store, did you tell him that's not mine?

4:57 I I told him, listen, I didn't want to be nasty with, you know,

5:02 I don't want to be messed with and be aggressive with.

5:05 I just say,

5:06 you just say this isn't these aren't my stones.

5:08 I didn't ask you to beat him up.

5:09 I'm saying you bring up

5:11 I couldn't beat him up.

5:12 Okay.

5:12 My question is did you ask him?

5:14 I couldn't beat him up.

5:15 What he did to me?

5:16 Now I want you to listen to me though.

5:17 My question is did you say to them this isn't mine.

5:19 You've you've made some mistake.

5:22 Yes.

5:21 Okay.

5:22 And then what did you do?

5:23 Well, I walked away.

5:24 I went to my house.

5:25 Did you go by your mom's house to see what

5:27 she was talking about when she told you about this?

5:29 Yes, I went over because she was telling me but she

5:31 I went with her to the court to file the campaign.

5:33 When you first saw this, what did

5:37 No, I knew that wasn't it, right?

5:39 Cuz you could have seen you could tell the difference

5:40 between a diamond when it shines and between sucuni.

5:43 And that was definitely not the ring

5:45 cuz you could tell the difference between zirconium and diamond.

5:48 And so your thought was these don't look like what was

5:51 in my ring because mine were diamonds and these look like glass.

5:55 Did you take it somewhere to find out?

5:57 One carrot.

5:57 Yes, she did.

5:58 She did.

5:59 I did.

5:59 The guy told me it was scrap.

6:00 Do you have something from the guy?

6:02 I didn't because I didn't need What's going on?

6:05 What's going on?

6:07 We buy scrap all the time.

6:08 And what we do is if sometimes if the people think that the diamonds

6:12 have little value and they want they want the diamonds back for whatever reason,

6:15 we have a setter that comes in every Saturday.

6:18 So we take it, we give them a receipt, we put it in an envelope.

6:20 You just tell them to come back Saturday.

6:22 And people leave stuff because they're not of it's not of any value.

6:25 I mean, those are like little chips.

6:27 They're little stones that that are you I'm I'm I'm confused because I thought

6:31 you said there was one stone in the center.

6:34 Yeah, it's like four little stones together.

6:36 You know, it looks like one stone, she's saying.

6:37 Okay.

6:38 All right.

6:38 But it was never one big stone surrounded by little stones.

6:41 It was all the little stones making up a big because

6:44 I would expect your first thought to be where's my big stone?

6:46 And it wasn't.

6:47 That's why I'm Okay.

6:49 So, it's not that what what is in here

6:51 doesn't look like the right amount or the right size.

6:53 It's that you think this is glass and you say this is what we took out.

6:57 Judge,

6:57 why would I get glass that small?

6:59 I would have it aside in a little envelope or something.

7:01 I don't know.

7:01 I would find it hard to I know that everyone feels

7:04 that their diamonds are very valuable because they're diamonds and everything,

7:07 but I would find it um surprising that a jeweler would put

7:11 a value on diamonds this that are um I don't want to be mean,

7:17 but you know, they're chips.

7:17 That's why you got a new one, right?

7:19 Because you probably got a bigger one.

7:20 They're chips.

7:20 If they if sometimes people leave small stones like that in rings,

7:24 we don't even take them out.

7:24 We just melt them.

7:26 We just throw them with the melt because they have it cost us

7:28 more to take them out than than it cost us to, you know,

7:30 they don't have any value chips.

7:31 How much could they cost?

7:32 $150, $2?

7:34 Okay.

7:34 Now, who's a gentleman you brought with you?

7:36 Well, his wife uh he's my manager, but his wife was there.

7:39 Uh his wife just had a baby,

7:40 but his wife was there uh when uh this all happened.

7:44 So, he's close to somebody who's a witness.

7:46 Yes.

7:46 And first of all, IF YOUR WIFE JUST HAD A BABY, why aren't you with your wife?

7:49 Why are you here?

7:50 Okay.

7:50 Second of all, you have nothing to tell me because you weren't a witness.

7:52 I don't understand.

7:53 I also have she did a she's a notorized letter.

7:56 She's a notoriized letter of what happened

7:58 and you she stay right where you are.

8:00 I had it to my baleiff.

8:01 So, you figured that like it would be more meaningful

8:03 if her husband said gave it to me instead of What's that?

8:07 What's on the table?

8:07 This is a diamond tester.

8:08 A what?

8:09 A diamond tester to tell if the diamonds are real or not.

8:14 There's such a thing.

8:16 Yes.

8:16 So, how does it work?

8:17 Well, you put the diamonds in this little slate here and you just test it.

8:21 And what?

8:21 And what?

8:22 And what is the thing measuring?

8:23 Do you know?

8:24 It tells It tells us exactly if the diamond is real or not.

8:26 If it's real.

8:27 What does it measure?

8:27 The density or it it just

8:30 I know.

8:30 I got it.

8:30 There's an end result.

8:31 But do you know how it works mechanically or not?

8:33 Really?

8:33 Yes, I know how it works.

8:35 What happens is if you take this right here

8:38 and you open it up,

8:41 you put one of the diamonds, whatever the size of the diamond is, in this slate.

8:44 You take the diamond, you put it in, you take this pin right here,

8:48 you press it on, and as soon as it goes to diamond, that means it's a diamond.

8:52 Okay.

8:52 But do does anybody know h what is what it's measuring?

8:55 Probably density.

8:56 Probably density, right?

8:57 Well, come here, baby.

8:58 Who's who's the expert in that machine?

9:00 New daddy or All right.

9:03 So, how do you prove that you had a diamond in the first place?

9:05 Who has a diamond ring?

9:07 Uh, you have a diamond ring.

9:08 So, what would you do to prove if you took this to the jural?

9:11 What What proof would you have?

9:12 Well, I have mine um paperwork on mine.

9:15 The document.

9:16 Okay.

9:16 Paperwork is good.

9:16 What What kind of proof do you have?

9:19 Um

9:18 it's just your gut instinct.

9:19 A woman always knows her diamond.

9:21 A woman will always lose then.

9:22 Who Who else?

9:24 I have an estimate at home and a proof of purchase.

9:26 So, I would definitely be able to show that.

9:28 I

9:29 think that's what you need.

9:29 We'll find out going inside the courtroom.

9:31 Here you go.

9:32 You could put it right here.

9:33 I'm afraid I'm afraid it's going to roll off or something.

9:35 I'm going to drop it and we're going to have a little problem.

9:38 Okay.

9:40 Should I put them all there?

9:42 Yeah.

9:42 Let's figure it out.

9:44 And then what are you going to do?

9:45 I like that.

9:46 Thank you.

9:47 This is my wedding ring.

9:48 Yeah.

9:49 Nice.

9:49 All right.

9:51 What you do is you put it here in the middle.

9:53 Right in the little hole.

9:54 Yeah.

9:54 So you can get a proper balance on it.

9:57 And hopefully I can.

9:59 Now I understand your your premise is Look, I gave her back what she gave me.

10:02 I don't know if it's glass or diamond or what.

10:04 Right.

10:05 It's a diamond.

10:05 It's a diamond.

10:06 Yes, it is.

10:06 IT'S A DIAMOND.

10:08 BUT THEY'RE NOT MINE.

10:09 NO, they're not hers.

10:11 No, they're not hers.

10:12 I would, IF I'M YOU, I TAKE THE DIAMOND.

10:14 FIRST, first it was At first it was a glass.

10:15 No, she always said that they weren't hers.

10:17 That they were glass and that she gave you diamonds.

10:19 Test the next one.

10:22 I don't care.

10:22 It just,

10:23 you know, it always looks different when it's out of the ring.

10:26 What happens is it looks big on the setting,

10:28 but when you take them out, they're microchips.

10:29 They're tiny.

10:30 They're microchips.

10:31 Okay.

10:31 You know the comment the young lady come when I went to pick up the last

10:35 time the diamonds or he could gave you any kind of damium from the store.

10:39 He found a diamond.

10:40 Okay.

10:41 Can I explain something to you?

10:42 You're the plainif in the case.

10:43 That means you have the burden of proving this case.

10:47 Okay.

10:47 That means you've got to come to court.

10:48 If you want to say these are glass and not diamonds,

10:50 you need to come to court with somebody with with an expert.

10:53 Well, I went the guy told me.

10:54 I DON'T CARE.

10:55 I CARE THAT YOU'RE HERE without anything.

10:57 The guy told you what you go to court.

10:59 You file a case and you have to prove it.

11:01 So, you have to prove these aren't diamonds.

11:03 You've come in here completely empty-handed.

11:04 If they didn't come here with the bell and whistle,

11:06 you would still lose because you came in empty-handed.

11:09 The first thing that has to happen is that you have

11:10 to prove to me that these aren't diamonds and they've returned glass.

11:14 And then you also have to prove

11:15 to me your husband didn't accidentally get rookked himself

11:17 a year ago or two years or five years ago when he gave you that one.

11:19 You understand what I'm saying?

11:20 But you you failed at the at the main threshold question,

11:24 which is they gave me glass because I

11:27 don't have any evidence they gave you glass.

11:28 I've got a tester testing those as diamonds.

11:30 I don't know how anybody could ever rig

11:32 that, but and I've got you guys coming in completely empty-handed.

11:36 My verdict in this case is for the defendants.

11:38 Make sure you get every single chip.

11:40 Okay.

11:44 No, ma'am.

11:45 Not yet.

11:47 Well, there were diamonds.

11:48 All right.

11:48 So, come on in here.

11:49 What's your What's your What's your feeling now?

11:51 It wasn't my diamonds, sir.

11:53 It wasn't my diamonds.

11:54 Well, is it possible?

11:55 Just possible?

11:56 No.

11:56 No.

11:56 It's not possibility.

11:57 I have it for two years on me wearing it in my house.

12:01 Maybe it looks different in the rain.

12:03 They take it out and look.

12:04 No, no, that's a trick that he made.

12:06 That's a real treat.

12:07 But you know, he got business.

12:09 The only business jewelry store in my neighborhood.

12:12 You know, I'm going to tell people for not

12:14 for now not to do business because he's a crook.

12:18 He's a real crook.

12:19 That's what he is.

12:20 You're upset, but don't beat him up.

12:22 Don't beat him up.

12:23 He's a crook.

12:24 Okay.

12:24 All right.

12:25 He's a crook.

12:25 Thank you, sir.

12:26 All right.

12:26 Thank you.

12:27 Okay.

12:28 All right.

12:29 So, come on in here.

12:29 Does this I mean h what do you do with a customer like that?

12:33 How do you prove that it is they are the diamonds?

12:35 I mean, you can't you honestly can't.

12:39 But she said that we gave her something that wasn't diamonds,

12:41 but they were diamonds that we gave her.

12:43 Well, she's saying they're not her diamonds, too.

12:44 I mean, how do how do you how can how do you know?

12:47 You know, you can't.

12:49 How could she know?

12:50 We give her back.

12:50 You know, we give people back everything.

12:52 You're the experts and they think you pulled the old switcheroo on them.

12:55 The switcheroo with diamonds like that doesn't even pay to do a switcheroo.

12:59 Those are very good.

13:00 If you kept good ones and gave them that, it would pay.

13:02 No, it not at all.

13:03 How do you Oh, those are little chips.

13:05 They're not worth anything.

13:06 I know.

13:06 I know.

13:06 Worth a couple of dollars.

13:07 What they're saying?

13:09 Mhm.

13:10 Harvey.

13:10 Okay.

13:10 If you have something really really really

13:12 expensive like a diamond or something like

13:14 that and you have to take it to somebody to get it fixed or whatever,

13:18 you should get some kind of proof of authenticity from somebody just

13:22 to have it like one of these people has before you take it in.

13:25 It will protect you.

13:26 I'm telling you.

13:27 And that will do it for this case litigance

13:28 for the next case on the way into the courtroom right now.