Queens jeweler Stanislav Yakubov, 42, stood silent in a Manhattan federal courtroom as a jury delivered a guilty verdict on three counts, including conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of making false statements to federal agents. The conviction caps an investigation into a year-long crime spree that saw nearly a dozen jewelers and high-end watch owners violently robbed across New York and New Jersey — all while Yakubov allegedly fueled the thefts by buying the stolen goods.
From October 2019 to November 2020, Yakubov, a/k/a “Steve,” conspired to acquire diamond-encrusted Richard Mille, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe watches stolen at gunpoint. Among the victims: jewelers from Manhattan’s Diamond District and his own Queens community. One Richard Mille alone was worth over $500,000. Prosecutors say Yakubov didn’t just turn a blind eye — he knowingly bankrolled the entire operation, creating a black-market pipeline for luxury loot.
The crimes were swift and brutal. On January 14, 2020, a jeweler in Rego Park was ambushed and stripped of a half-million-dollar Richard Mille. On August 2, 2020, a food critic and social media influencer was robbed near Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, of a $250,000 timepiece. Other targets included a Brooklyn jeweler taken for over $160,000 in Patek Philippe and diamonds, and a Long Island City victim who lost a Richard Mille worth $150,000. In all, the spree spanned at least ten violent or attempted robberies.
Yakubov wasn’t on the front lines, but his role was no less criminal. Investigators say he laundered the stolen merchandise by passing it through his jewelry business, effectively cleaning the proceeds of violent crime. When confronted by federal agents on October 20, 2020, and again on March 24, 2021, he lied — claiming he never bought any stolen watches and that the robbers were merely past customers. The jury didn’t buy it.
“Yakubov agreed to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen luxury watches — many taken during violent robberies — and his actions fueled a year-long spree,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “This conviction sends a message: buying and laundering stolen property will be vigorously prosecuted.”
Yakubov is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who oversaw the eight-day trial. Authorities are still searching for the missing watches and urge anyone with information to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York at 1-866-874-8900, referencing this case. Photos of the stolen timepieces were released as part of the investigation.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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