Providence pawn shop owner accused of buying $300K worth of stolen jewelry
by: Jusolyn Flower
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Providence pawn shop owner was arrested Thursday for allegedly buying over $300,000 in stolen gold jewelry, R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha announced.
Mohamed Bahra, 58, of Lincoln, was charged in 6th Division District Court with knowingly receiving 26.3 ounces of stolen 18-karat gold rings, failing to require proof of identification from sellers of precious metals and failing to keep proper sales records.
In January, Bahra admitted to purchasing the rings from a UPS worker who had stolen them from a Warwick shipping facility last July, court records allege.
The worker reportedly sold the stolen jewelry to Bahra for $12,384 at Diamond Four C’s on Westminster Street. Prosecutors said Bahra had the rings weighed and examined at a refiner, where it was revealed that they had been stolen from Tiffany & Co.
Investigators later confirmed that the rings were valued at approximately $378,000, according to Neronha.
Court documents state Bahra is being held on $25,000 personal recognizance bail and no plea was entered during his court appearance. His next scheduled court date is on Nov. 27.