Local News

Pawnbroker Accused Of Hindering Jewelry Probe

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (WJZ) ― A stolen diamond ring worth more than $40,000 turned up in a Glen Burnie pawn shop.  Police tell Suzanne Collins they have a warrant for the thief, and the shop owner faces more than a dozen criminal charges.

Police say one of the thefts took place at a palatial Montgomery County home.  A warrant has been put out for the air conditioning technician working at the home when two rings disappeared.

"Most of the jewelry they got came from our cook and they got her wedding band and engagement ring.  It wasn't worth that much, but the sentimental value was incredible," said homeowner Lewis Egan.

Police say the bigger story is that those stolen rings and others--including a four carat diamond valued at more than $40,000--were pawned at B&A Pawn Shop in Glen Burnie.  The owner, Lee Graham, was charged with 15 criminal counts like accepting stolen property, not keeping proper records and obstructing a police investigation. 

The detective had been tipped off about stolen items there.

"She went out there and she asked for a type of diamond that was supposed to have been pawned out there, but he tried to present a different-sized ring to the detective," said Lt. Jeff Silverman with Anne Arundel County Police.

After asking to see the four carat diamond, the detective says she was instead shown a smaller ring, raising her suspicions.

Police do not think Graham had anything to do with stealing the jewelry, but they say there were 1,700 items that were not tagged as required by law so stolen goods are not resold.

The pawn shop was locked up tight Monday. The phone machine said late fees would not be charged.

Police don't know if the unmarked jewelry they seized is stolen.

"Inspect it to see if there are any identifiers on there like initials, date of birth.  Some people engrave things so then we can trace it back to the owner and determine `Did you pawn this or was it stolen?'" Silverman said.

Graham was not at his home in Northwest Baltimore and did not return our messages  The man who owns the home where the rings were stolen says he's happy about the arrest.

"If police could do what they did in this case and crack down on the pawn broker, that will eliminate a great deal of the temptation and the ability for people to do this kind of crime," Egan said.

Police say they have not yet arrested the 24-year-old Pasadena man wanted for stealing from the homes in Montgomery County.

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