A Florida Panhandle man admitted to stealing at least $35,000 worth of jewelry and shipping them out of state.
In a federal courtroom in Pensacola on Thursday, 39-year-old Mark Joshua Mitchell pled guilty to stealing jewelry between June 2015 and July 2016 and then transporting those items to either Missouri or Louisiana on seven separate occasions, said Amy Alexander, a U.S. attorney’s office spokesperson.
Victims reported that Mitchell took more than 15 diamonds, including engagement-ring multi-carat diamonds, Van Cleef & Arpels rings and pendants, cash and Mexican gold coins, according to Mitchell’s plea and indictment records. Mitchell stole items from victims in Santa Rosa Beach, Panama City Beach and his hometown, Destin.
For each of the seven counts of interstate transportation of stolen property, Mitchell faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, Alexander said.
In Gainesville, police see cases involving jewelry theft a few times a year, most involving older victims, said Gainesville Police spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias.
Tobias said the most notable Gainesville case he can recall was from January 2011, when a 92-year-old woman and Gainesville resident was held at gunpoint and robbed of $38,000 during a massage at The Atrium at Gainesville retirement community, according to The Gainesville Sun.
“We do find that a majority of these cases involve the elderly as victims,” Tobias said.
Mitchell’s hearing is set for Sept. 18. As of Monday, he is being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail with no bond.
