A high-profile Sydney jeweler has been charged after allegedly arranging an armed heist of his own jewelry store in what New South Wales police say was an elaborate attempt to defraud his insurance company.
Michel Elias Germani — whose business Germani Jewellery has designed items for the likes of Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor and the Saudi royal family, according to its Web site — was arrested on Monday.
Police say that the 65-year-old initially told officers that he and a staff member were threatened by two men posing as customers at his store in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building in January.
Photo: Reuters
One of the men allegedly threatened the staff member with a knife, while the other demanded access to the jeweler’s safe, according to police.
The pair allegedly fled the store after Germani and the staff member were restrained.
Police last month arrested two people, Shanel Tofaeono, 37, and Mounir Helou, 57, over the alleged robbery.
However, on Monday, police arrested Germani after alleging the robbery was a scam.
Germani yesterday faced Downing Centre local court, 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, publishing false or misleading material to obtain property, and participating in a criminal group and contributing to criminal activity.
Germani made no application for bail and was ordered to reappear in court for a bail review tomorrow.
Germani is the founder and chief executive of the jewelry brand that rose to fame in 1988, when it became a sponsor of the Australian TV gameshow Sale of the Century.
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
Packed crowds in India celebrating their cricket team’s victory ended in a deadly stampede on Wednesday, with 11 mainly young fans crushed to death, the local state’s chief minister said. Joyous cricket fans had come out to celebrate and welcome home their heroes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after they beat Punjab Kings in a roller-coaster Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket final on Tuesday night. However, the euphoria of the vast crowds in the southern tech city of Bengaluru ended in disaster, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra calling it “absolutely heartrending.” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said most of the deceased are young, with 11 dead
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a
RSS