CrimeOct 22, 2026
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Man In Florida Who Swallowed Tiffany & Co. Earrings Convicted
Jaythan Gilder was found guilty of robbery and grand theft after stealing and then ingesting nearly $800,000 worth of Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
A Florida jury has found Jaythan Lawrence Gilder of Houston guilty of robbery and grand theft. Gilder was charged after stealing and swallowing jewelry from the Tiffany & Co. store at Mall of Millenia in Orlando, Florida, in February 2025. Pictured are three of the four diamond studs that were recovered.
Orange County, Fla.—Jaythan Lawrence Gilder has been convicted on charges of robbery and grand theft for stealing nearly $800,000 worth of Tiffany & Co. jewelry from an Orlando mall and then swallowing it in attempt to hide the evidence.
Gilder, of Houston, was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 22, the office of Florida State Attorney Monique Worrell announced.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7.
According to the state attorney’s office, in late February 2025, Gilder, then 32, posed as a representative for an Orlando Magic player who was looking to purchase diamond earrings and a diamond ring from the Tiffany & Co. store at the Mall of Millenia in Orlando, Florida.
Two employees led him into a private viewing room because of the jewelry’s high value, where they showed him a pair of 4.86-carat diamond solitaire earrings ($160,000), a pair of 8.19-carat diamond solitaire earrings ($609,500), and a 5.16-carat diamond solitaire ring ($587,000).
According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed in the case, Gilder jumped out of his seat and grabbed all the merchandise, injuring one employee as he fled.
He got away with two pairs of earrings valued at a combined $769,500; a store employee slapped the ring out of his hand.
Detectives identified the getaway vehicle heading toward Texas and the Florida Highway Patrol stopped Gilder hours later due to a traffic violation.
According to the affidavit, Gilder swallowed several items as he was being taken into custody, and a live scan at the Washington County jail confirmed there were foreign objects in his stomach.
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Gilder, of Houston, was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 22, the office of Florida State Attorney Monique Worrell announced.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7.
According to the state attorney’s office, in late February 2025, Gilder, then 32, posed as a representative for an Orlando Magic player who was looking to purchase diamond earrings and a diamond ring from the Tiffany & Co. store at the Mall of Millenia in Orlando, Florida.
Two employees led him into a private viewing room because of the jewelry’s high value, where they showed him a pair of 4.86-carat diamond solitaire earrings ($160,000), a pair of 8.19-carat diamond solitaire earrings ($609,500), and a 5.16-carat diamond solitaire ring ($587,000).
According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed in the case, Gilder jumped out of his seat and grabbed all the merchandise, injuring one employee as he fled.
He got away with two pairs of earrings valued at a combined $769,500; a store employee slapped the ring out of his hand.
Detectives identified the getaway vehicle heading toward Texas and the Florida Highway Patrol stopped Gilder hours later due to a traffic violation.
According to the affidavit, Gilder swallowed several items as he was being taken into custody, and a live scan at the Washington County jail confirmed there were foreign objects in his stomach.
About two weeks later, Orlando Police Department detectives “recovered” three of the four Tiffany & Co. earrings, along with two other unidentified earrings, from Gilder’s person.
The final Tiffany & Co. earring was recovered on March 12, 2025.
After searching his criminal history, police found Gilder had been charged with a “near identical” robbery/theft at a Tiffany & Co. store in Woodlands Township, Texas, in 2022, according to the affidavit.
“This case involved not only a significant financial loss, but also the safety of employees who were confronted with violence while simply doing their jobs,” Worrell said.
“This verdict sends a clear message that violence and theft will not be tolerated in our community.”
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