Former Newport Beach jeweler gets 6 years in theft case
A Newport Beach resident and former jewelry store owner was sentenced Friday for stealing clients’ diamonds and replacing them with fake stones, prosecutors said.
Charles Jayson Hanson, 53, received six years and four months in state prison after being found guilty in October of first-degree residential burglary, four felony counts of grand theft and one misdemeanor count of petty theft.
He also had sentencing enhancements for aggravated white-collar crime of more than $100,000, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Hanson had owned Stoned Jewelry, at the South Coast Collection shopping center in Costa Mesa. It has since closed.
Prosecutors said that in September 2013, Hanson’s neighbors commissioned him to upgrade an engagement ring. The couple paid $16,000 and give him a ring containing a diamond, which he then replaced with cubic zirconium, prosecutors contend.
The matter was reported to Newport Beach police, who discovered similar encounters with other people.
At Friday’s sentencing, some victims gave impact statements.
According to the district attorney’s office, one of them called Hanson “the true epitome of a con man. He preys on gaining people’s confidence so they will not suspect his true intentions to steal from them. I was especially appalled that he had the nerve to bring my fake diamonds to my home and was especially proud to show them to me.
“Unfortunately, I have lost confidence and trust for those who are in these positions of trust.â€
Twitter: @BradleyZint
