Md. Pair Accused of Stealing Jewelry During Open Houses

For months, real estate agents across the region had been on edge. Large amounts of expensive jewelry were disappearing from their clients' homes during weekend open houses.

One agent said she knows of at least $43,000 worth of jewelry stolen from clients during five recent open houses. Fairfax County police said that in one theft, the victim lost $20,000 worth of jewelry, and in another home, the owner lost $13,000 in jewelry.

"They were very good at what they do," said Mary Hurlbut, an agent in the Old Town Alexandria office of Weichert Realtors. "They were taking things they could put in their pockets."

On Sunday afternoon, police arrested John Palmer Jr., 51, of Glen Burnie and Samuel Goldstein, 22, of Dundalk at a Baltimore open house, one with jewelry from that home in his pocket. Authorities said they think that the men are responsible for as many as 20 similar thefts in Northern Virginia, Baltimore and Montgomery County.

Police said the thieves posed as a father and son and would target a different neighborhood each weekend.

Officers were called to the 1600 block of Park Avenue on Sunday by a real estate agent who was suspicious of the men. After police found jewelry in Goldstein's pocket, the men were charged with larceny and theft. They were being held without bond in Baltimore on Monday, awaiting extradition to Alexandria.

There were at least 18 open warrants for their arrest in Alexandria and Fairfax, police said. Nine of the warrants stem from three cases in Alexandria.

Hurlbut said she saw the pair at an open house in Alexandria on Sept. 13. She was immediately suspicious because the older man began asking odd questions while the younger man went upstairs.

When her clients arrived home that night and said that several rings worth more than $10,000 were missing, she said she thought she knew who did it.

The trick was finding the men and proving it.

She alerted the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, which put out a bulletin giving a description of the suspects and warning thousands of agents about the activity. Many already knew because their clients had been victimized.

Two weeks later, agent Jim Bryant was holding an open house in McLean when he saw two men who fit the description pull up and quickly exit their car, he said. The men split up when they walked in the door, and Bryant said he decided to write down their vehicle's license plate number.

When they saw what Bryant was doing, they left. Bryant then e-mailed Alexandria police Detective Daniel Plank, who checked the license plate number and came up with Palmer's name.

Plank then searched a regional pawnshop database and learned that Palmer had been pawning large amounts of jewelry. Plank visited one of the pawnshops in Howard County and the owner recognized photos of Palmer and Goldstein, Plank said.

So, when an agent in Baltimore called police Sunday after seeing suspicious activity and remembering the bulletin about the thefts, officers knew to check the suspects' pockets. Then, it was easy for authorities to piece together the case, Plank said.

He said he thinks there are additional victims who have not come forward. Anyone with information about similar thefts is asked to call Plank at 703-838-4797.