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Michael Larbi, 22, of Dover, Delaware was charged on Wednesday with second-degree theft by Evesham police, the Burlington County police department announced.
Larbi is accused of stealing jewelry from several South Jersey stores, including in Hainesport and Haddon Heights.
The spree began on Oct. 28, 2020, when he took more than $77,000 in jewelry from Billig Jewelers at 330 South Route 73, Evesham police said on Facebook.
On Nov. 2, Larbi strolled into David Arlen Jewelers in Hainesport, also in Burlington County, and began chatting with a shopkeeper. While looking at two pieces of jewelry, he snatched a pair of diamond rings from a display case and ran out, police said.
Three days later, Larbi is suspected of stealing more than than $97,000 in high-end gems from a Haddon Heights (Camden County) jewelry store. Investigators learned about the Evesham and Hainesport thefts while investigating the Haddon Heights heist.
Physical evidence was recovered from one of three similar jewelry thefts in Maryland, which led to a break in the cases in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Evesham police wrote on Facebook.
Larbi awaits extradition to New Jersey. Investigations continue in other local jurisdictions and by New Jersey State Police.
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