A Texas man posing as an NBA insider tried to finesse a high-end jewelry heist—but cops had the last laugh when they caught him with stolen diamonds in his stomach.
Some criminals plan elaborate heists. Others just sprint for the door and hope for the best. Jaythan Gilder, 32, clearly falls into the latter category.
Late last month, Gilder strolled into the Tiffany & Co. store at The Mall of Millenia in Orlando, Florida, claiming he was negotiating a deal on behalf of an unnamed Orlando Magic player, according to an arrest affidavit recently obtained by The Smoking Gun. Store employees, assuming he was legit, ushered him into a private viewing room where they presented him with an eye-watering $770,000 worth of jewelry: a $587,000 diamond ring and two sets of diamond earrings valued at $609,500 and $160,000.
But instead of sealing the deal with a wire transfer, Gilder chose a less conventional payment method—he leaped out of his chair, grabbed the goods, and bolted for the door. A male Tiffany employee put up a fight, managing to knock the pricey diamond ring out of Gilder’s grasp. But the suspect muscled his way through the VIP room doors and took off, dodging staff as he made his grand exit.
It didn’t take long for police to track him down. Using a mix of mall security footage, public safety cameras, and license plate readers, investigators identified a 2024 Mitsubishi Highlander as the getaway car. Six hours after the February 26 heist, officers pulled over the rented SUV—heading straight for Texas.
Gilder, who was driving solo, had one last trick up his sleeve (or rather, in his stomach). As cops took him into custody, he reportedly swallowed several pieces of the stolen jewelry in a last-ditch effort to hide the evidence. A scan soon confirmed that his digestive system was now holding what investigators described as “foreign objects.” Officers patiently awaited nature’s course to recover the missing goods.
Further sealing his fate, a search of the SUV turned up damning evidence: the clothes he wore during the robbery, Tiffany price tags that matched the stolen items, and a positive ID from the Tiffany employee who fought him off.
Gilder’s own words didn’t help his case, either. While sitting in the back of a police cruiser, a Florida Highway Patrol officer heard him mutter, “I should have thrown them out the window.” Later, at the county jail, he reportedly blurted out, “Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?”
A quick look at his rap sheet revealed that this wasn’t his first high-end heist. Back in 2022, he was arrested for pulling a nearly identical stunt at a Tiffany & Co. in suburban Houston, where he lives. He’s also been tied to a $133,340 jewelry theft in Houston and multiple pawn shop smash-and-grabs.
For his digestive pains, Gilder sits in Orange County Jail, held without bond on multiple felony charges. And if Florida authorities don’t keep him busy enough, Colorado is also waiting in line—he’s wanted there on dozens of outstanding warrants.
As for the missing jewelry, police are standing by for its grand reappearance. Gilder might have tried to make his stolen goods disappear, but some things just can’t stay hidden forever.