The 50-year-old man pleaded guilty earlier this year to robbing two jewelry stores and a pawn shop of more than $700,000 in merchandise.
African Gem Fair Rescheduled for the Fall
The Africa Gem Exhibition and Conference, originally slated for July in Zambia, will now be held from Oct. 1 to 3.

Livingstone, Zambia—The inaugural Africa Gem Exhibition and Conference has been rescheduled for the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The event originally was planned for July 23 to 25 at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone, Zambia, but organizers announced this week they will push it back to Oct. 1 to 3.
It is designed to bring together a range of stakeholders from various African governments, miners representing small scale and large companies, civil society, associations and academics.
The conference will include discussions about policy in the gemstone supply chain, how to enhance Africa’s visibility as a gem-producing hub and responsible sourcing, among other things.
The event also will provide a marketplace for miners, dealers and jewelers to buy and sell gemstones and jewelry, introductory gemology courses and training for gem identification and jewelry making.
AGEC has been organized in partnership with the Association of Zambia Women in Mining, Federation of Small-Scale Miners of Zambia, the Zambian Government and the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference.
“We wish to thank all the organizations, speakers and individuals that have already come on board toward hosting the event, and we look forward to continued partnership and collaboration as we now have more time to plan a bigger and better event,” organizers said in an email alert about the news.
They are encouraging those interested to continue to register for sponsorship or attendance through the AGEC website.
Questions or concerns can also be sent to organizers by emailing info@agecafrica.com.
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