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RAPAPORT... Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun, a former executive at Tiffany & Co. who pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property valued at $1.3 million, was sentenced to one year plus one day in prison. Attorneys for the defendant sought a sentence of six months; however, federal prosecutors requested three years in prison. The judge dismissed any notion that she was motivated by greed but admitted that it was impossible to know for certain why the defendant set off on a path of self-destruction that ultimately ended in disaster, according to the Associate Press. Lederhaas-Okun served as vice president of product development at Tiffany & Co. and was permitted to sign out jewelry ahead of meetings with manufacturers for the purpose of determining product costs, but authorities found that many of those items were never returned to the store. An investigation later found that Lederhaas-Okun resold some of the jewelry to an unidentified dealer for more than $1.3 million and, additionally, some items were found in her home.
The New York state attorney's office reported that Lederhaas-Okun's plea agreement required her to forfeit $2.1 million and to give more than $2.2 million in restitution to Tiffany & Co. According to the statement, the defendant took more than 165 items, including "diamond bracelets, platinum or gold diamond drop and hoop earrings, platinum diamond rings and platinum and diamond pendants."
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