4th Man Held in Newport Jewelry Store Robberies

After an national manhunt, federal authorities in Illinois have arrested a fourth man allegedly involved in two spectacular jewelry store robberies in Newport Beach almost two years ago, police said.

Robert G. Siegel, 56, a native of Chicago, was arrested Jan. 16 by FBI agents in Geneva, Ill., about 30 miles west of Chicago, an FBI spokesman said Wednesday.

Siegel is accused of being part of a ring of jewelry store thieves, whose two robberies at the Fashion Island mall were stunning for their theatrics, efficiency and the value of their loot. The masked robbers, armed with assault rifles, raided the stores during business hours, terrifying employees and customers, and stole $8 million in jewels, police said.

“The suspects in these robberies literally terrorized the business community, and we’re very glad he’s in custody,” Newport Beach Police Sgt. Andy Gonis said. “The robberies were committed in a well-orchestrated manner, and we have every reason to believe that anyone who tried to prevent them from conducting the robbery would have been killed.”

Siegel was arrested by FBI agents after having lunch with a woman in a suburban restaurant. Agents waited until they had finished eating and left the restaurant before arresting him.

He offered no resistance and was unarmed. His companion did not appear to be involved in the case and was allowed to leave immediately after Siegel’s arrest, agents said.

Siegel, who the FBI said has a criminal record dating back to age 17, is being held at the Chicago Metropolitan Jail. He will be flown back to Newport Beach on Monday to face a charge of conspiracy to commit robbery, an FBI spokesman said.

The first of the robberies was at Carol Klein Fine Jewelry in October, 1989, when three armed men, wearing Halloween masks and bulletproof vests, entered the store during business hours and dumped $6 million worth of fine jewelry into several garbage cans, which they hauled away.

The other was at Moboco Fine Jewelry & Gems in March, 1990, from which more than $2 million in jewelry was taken. Both robberies took less than two minutes to complete.

Two of Siegel’s alleged accomplices--Michael Rabb of Lake Worth, Fla., and Walter F. Zischke of Cicero, Ill.--were arrested in August at John Wayne Airport, where they were waiting for a flight to Illinois. The two, who had been cellmates at Joliet State Prison in Illinois, pleaded guilty in September to robbing the stores and were each sentenced to 10 years in prison, police said.

Another accomplice, John Evans of Cicero, Ill., was arrested last summer in Needles. Police found weapons and masks in his car trunk. Evans pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and was given a three-year sentence, police said.

Police said that other suspects may have been part of the ring and that the investigation is continuing.