A Miami man was arrested on Monday after he was caught trying to sell an expensive custom ring that had been stolen from the hotel room of famed New York City jeweler Eric Mavashev, known on social media as “Eric The Jeweler.”
According to Local 10 News, Mavashev was staying at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel during Super Bowl weekend when his hotel room was broken into on Sunday.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Police said a safe containing between $1.3 million and $1.7 million in jewelry was stolen from inside the room as well as a large sum of cash.
Law enforcement officials said an anonymous source contacted detectives Monday and said a man, identified as a known burglar, was trying to sell jewelry that he admitted had been stolen.
Xandi Garcia, 30, met with the tipster and tried to sell the jewels at the Seybold building. Garcia presented a custom ring that had a large clear stone, with multiple smaller clear stones.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Police said the tipster told Garcia that he wasn’t interested in the ring, believing that it had possibly been stolen in a home invasion. Still, Garcia claimed it was actually taken from a vehicle. The tipster still declined, and when Garcia left, he was immediately detained by officers.
Authorities claim Mavashev confirmed the ring was one of his stolen pieces, but it’s unclear whether any of the other jewelry pieces or cash were recovered.
Garcia now faces charges of burglary, grand theft and dealing in stolen property.
