3 rings in Irvine jewelry theft case found at Costa Mesa pawn shop, police say

Three rings tied to a probe of an Irvine jeweler suspected of stealing wedding and engagement rings worth an estimated $40,000 altogether were discovered in a Costa Mesa pawn shop, authorities said Wednesday.

The three rings were found about a week after Daniel Cervantes, 27, was arrested Feb. 2 on suspicion of seven counts of grand theft, according to the Irvine Police Department. He is suspected of stealing items from at least four local couples.

One of the alleged victims saw a news report about Nicole Sarber and Julio Cuellar, whose family-heirloom 2-carat platinum diamond ring had been stolen after Cuellar gave it to Cervantes to clean in preparation for his marriage proposal, authorities said. Officials said the second victim called police to alert them that he had found his stolen property at the Costa Mesa pawn shop.

Upon visiting the store, police said, officers found two rings that had been tied to Cervantes in the existing investigation, as well as a ring belonging to a new alleged victim. Investigators identified additional items Cervantes sold to the shop but hadn’t yet determined whether those were stolen.

One of the rings recovered was Sarber’s antique diamond engagement ring, according to Irvine police.

Detectives are looking for other possible victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact Irvine police Det. Kristi Valentine at (949) 724-7188 or kvalentine@cityofirvine.org.

Martin writes for KTLA.