International jewelry theft suspect booked in Collier jail

A Romanian national who authorities think is part of an international theft ring and is accused in a North Naples jewel heist was booked at the Collier County Jail this week.

Nikolae Anghel, 25, is accused of stealing jewelry valued at more than $13,000 from Neil's Jewellery and Exchange in North Naples in February.

Federal agents arrested Anghel in California late last month and extradited him to Collier. A tip from a crime analyst working in the United Kingdom led to Anghel's identification.

A transport company that contracts with the Sheriff's Office transferred Anghel to the Collier County Jail, where he was booked Tuesday. Bail information was not available Wednesday afternoon.

According to an arrest report, Anghel has been placed on hold for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Collier deputies reported they responded to calls about a distraction theft at the North Naples jewelry store Feb. 28. 

About 4 p.m. Feb 24, a man entered the store and asked to buy several pieces of jewelry, according to court records. The man asked store employees to gift-wrap the jewelry, and while they were distracted, the man pulled five gold chains from one of the bags and put them in his wallet, a criminal complaint states. The chains were valued at $13,056.

The man initially gave the employees $3,000 and then said he would go to the bank to withdraw more money, the complaint states. He took the money and the hidden necklaces but didn't return, according to the complaint.

In March, detectives released video of the crime recorded on the store's surveillance cameras, along with details of the crime on the Sheriff's Office Facebook page. The post, which officials said was shared 85 times and reached more than 24,000 people, apparently reached an audience in Europe.

In April the Sheriff's Office received a Facebook message from a United Kingdom crime analyst who identified the thief as Anghel. The analyst told officials Anghel was part of an organized crime group known for committing distraction thefts in Romania and the U.K. and had been tracked to the United States, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Deputies found Anghel's Facebook page under an alias he was using online. The day before the February crime in Collier, Anghel posted a video of himself wearing the same purple shirt he was seen wearing in the jewelry store surveillance video, according to the Sheriff's Office. Store employees later identified Anghel in a photo lineup.

On June 29, detectives secured an arrest warrant for Anghel to include nationwide extradition on charges of grand theft, according to the Sheriff's Office. Federal immigration officials arrested Anghel on July 27 in San Bernardino, California.

On Oct. 11, ICE acknowledged the warrant and agreed to extradite Anghel to Collier County, officials said.