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Michael Elias Germani, a prominent Sydney jeweller has been arrested and accused of arranging the armed robbery of his own jewellery store.
The 65-year-old owner of Germani Jewellery, who has designed items for the celebrities such as Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor, was arrested by NSW Police on 8 May.
In January at a store on George Street in Sydney, men posing as customers threatened a staff member with a knife while demanding access to the jeweller’s safe, according to reporting from The Guardian.
The men allegedly bound the hands and feet with cable ties of Germani and a female staff member and then left the store with an expensive collection of jewellery.
In April, authorities arrested two people – Shanel Tofaeono, 37, and Mounir Helou, 57 – in relation to the alleged robbery.
Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi told reporters outside the court that the female store assistant didn’t know the robbery was orchestrated.
“I can indicate the store owner lodged a substantial claim for a substantial amount of jewellery and a sizable dollar amount with his insurer,” he said.
“We looked closely into the store owner and some of his associates and we identified that he had orchestrated this entire event.”
Germani appeared in court in Downing Centre the day after his arrest where police alleged he was involved in “planning and coordinating the robbery and attempted to defraud an insurance company”.
He has been charged with aggravated robbery and depriving a person of their liberty, attempting to dishonestly obtain a financial advantage by deception, as well as publishing false or misleading material to obtain property.
He has also been charged with participating in a criminal group and contributing to criminal activity. No application for bail was made.
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