Man Convicted After Swallowing Nearly $770K of Stolen Tiffany’s Jewelry When He Got Pulled Over

A Florida man who swallowed more than three-quarters of a million dollars worth of Tiffany earrings has been found guilty of stealing the pricey jewelry.

Jaythan Lawrence Gilder was convicted by a jury on Thursday, October 22, of first degree grand theft and robbery with a mask over the bizarre incident that allegedly began at the Tiffany & Co. store in the Mall at Millenia in Orlando, according to a press release from the Office of the State Attorney.

The defendant, 32, allegedly pretended to be a representative for an NBA player with the Orlando Magic in February 2025 to gain access to the jewelry, as captured by in-store security footage released by the Orlando Police Department. He then allegedly “used force against a store employee,” per the state attorney’s release, before fleeing with two sets of earrings valued at $769,500.

Wild dashcam footage shared by The Smoking Gun in June 2025 showed troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol attempting to stop the suspect from swallowing the jewelry after he was pulled over. At one point in the footage, three troopers were seen wrestling the thrashing suspect and trying to force his mouth open, but to no avail.

As the earrings could not be found on his person, Gilder was arrested on a charge of resisting, as well as 48 outstanding warrants from Colorado, per a March 2025 report from NBC affiliate WFLA. A body scan at the jail confirmed there were foreign objects in the suspect’s stomach, per the arrest report reviewed by the station.

Police detailed in the arrest record that Gilder purportedly “spontaneously asked” if he was going to be “charged with what’s in my stomach.” The arresting trooper reportedly heard him say, “I should have thrown them out the window.”

The defendant was ultimately forced to stay in a hospital for nearly two weeks until the earrings were expelled from his system, according to the New York Post, leading to the eventual charges he was convicted on.

“This case involved not only a significant financial loss, but also the safety of employees who were confronted with violence while simply doing their jobs,” said State Attorney Monique Worrell in her office’s release. “This verdict sends a clear message that violence and theft will not be tolerated in our community.”

Gilder’s sentencing is scheduled for December 7.