ORLANDO, FL — In a story from FOX 13 by Abigail Lafferty, a 32-year-old Texas man, Jaythan Lawrence Gilder, faces charges of robbery and grand theft after allegedly stealing two pairs of diamond earrings worth over $700,000 from a Tiffany & Co. store at the Mall of Millenia on February 26. Gilder, claiming to represent an Orlando Magic player, was caught on camera snatching the jewelry—valued at $160,000 and $609,500—before fleeing the store, injuring an employee in the process.
Police tracked Gilder’s vehicle using surveillance and public safety cameras, apprehending him on Interstate 10 in the Florida Panhandle. During the arrest, authorities say he swallowed the earrings. An X-ray revealed “foreign objects” in his stomach, believed to be the stolen items.
Detectives are awaiting their recovery to confirm.Gilder, who has a prior criminal history including a 2014 pawn shop theft and a 2023 jail sentence in Texas, reportedly asked if he’d be charged for what was in his stomach. He remains in custody as the investigation continues.
