Three New York jewellery businesses have won a settlement against the Suffolk County Police Department after its officers allegedly seized more than $100,000 worth of gold and silver items from the jewelers and didn’t return them.
Out of more than $150,000 that was seized, some $100,000 was not returned, the complaint asserted. In some cases, the jewellery was sold at public auctions or given to third parties, without the businesses having any way to get it back.
“This appears to be the tip of the iceberg—there’s no question this happened to other business owners in Suffolk County,” one of the business owners said. “I hope other secondhand dealers that are still operating are not afraid to come forward [and are not] afraid of retaliation.”
Full article and the source: https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/jewelers-settlement-local-pd/
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