Jewelry Store Owner Sentenced For  Stolen Goods Charge

       LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas jewelry store owner was sentenced today to two  years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $196,000 in restitution for purchasing and selling luxury jewelry that he knew was stolen, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

            Nabil (”Bill”) Sakkab, 39, of Las Vegas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan.  Sakkab pleaded guilty in July to two counts of receipt and sale of stolen goods. Sakkab was permitted to self-report to federal prison no later than Feb. 14, 2014.

“This case was prosecuted as part of a federal and local law enforcement effort to combat organized retail theft,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden.  “Organized retail theft causes billions of dollars in losses to retailers annually.  These losses are usually passed on to the consumers in the form of higher prices on goods, and states lose the tax revenue that would otherwise be generated from the sale of these goods by legitimate dealers.”

According to the court records, Sakkab was a partial owner of Red Rock Jewelers in Las Vegas.  From about Sept, 20, 2011, to Feb. 3, 2012, Sakkab acted as a fence for stolen property by purchasing and selling luxury jewelry stolen by co-conspirator Jeffrey Cochran, who also pleaded guilty to stolen goods charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 25, 2013.  Most of the stolen items sold by Sakkab were high priced Rolex watches which had been stolen in other states and transported to Las Vegas. Sakkab resold the stolen jewelry at Red Rock Jewelers, and also sold it privately to third parties for personal gain. The amount of restitution ordered was reduced due to law enforcement’s successful recovery of one of the stolen watches.

            The case was investigated by the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Special Investigations Section.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christina M. Brown.