Employee Stole High-End Watches Worth $650K From FL Jewelry Store

LARGO, FL — An employee at Gold & Diamond Source at 3800 Ulmerton Road stole high-end watches worth about $650,000, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Michael Kelly, 32, of St. Petersburg was charged with scheme to defraud.

Detectives began investigating Kelly on May 15 after receiving a report that he had stolen watches from the business between Oct. 31, 2021, and May 3 of this year, the sheriff’s office said.

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Kelly entered fake information into the point-of-sale system that led the business to believe a watch had been sold.

He created false sales records indicating a customer traded in a watch and bought another, the sheriff’s office said. However, he would steal the watch from inventory and put it in his suit jacket.

He was seen on surveillance video footage entering the fake trade-in transactions while no customer was present.

Detectives confirmed that Kelly stole 36 watches from the business, PCSO said. He was fired on May 10.

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