Florida Man Found Guilty of $1M Tiffany’s Robbery After Swallowing the Evidence
In February 2025, authorities say Jaythan Lawrence Gilder entered an Orlando, Florida, Tiffany & Co., overpowered an employee, and made off with nearly a million dollars’ worth of luxury jewelry. When it came time to stash the goods, he didn’t toss them from a getaway car or hide them in a closet—investigators said he swallowed them. Now, more than a year later, a jury has found him guilty of robbery and grand theft.
The bizarre jewelry heist occurred at The Mall at Millenia on February 26, 2025, when Jaythan Gilder posed as a representative for an Orlando Magic player named Shawn, who was reportedly negotiating a purchase, WESH 2 reported. Gilder was taken into a private VIP room to view the items, but instead of shopping, he snatched merchandise valued at over $760,000 and ran, State Attorney Monique Worrell announced.
Gilder, then 32, stole two sets of diamond earrings—a 4.86-carat pair worth $160,000 and an 8.10-carat pair valued at $609,500, according to WFLA. Florida Highway Patrol troopers later intercepted Gilder on Interstate 10, where dashcam footage captured him struggling with officers during the arrest.
In the dashcam video, the cop noticed Gilder “was talking with a closed mouth and was moving an object around…using his tongue,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Smoking Gun. Troopers could also be heard demanding Gilder to “open his mouth” after he swallowed the stolen earrings in an attempt to conceal the evidence. “I don’t have to,” Gilder can be heard saying in the video.
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Gilder—who already had 48 outstanding warrants in Colorado and was charged with robbing another Tiffany & Co. in Texas three years prior, per the New York Post—was ultimately wrestled to the ground and was hit with a resisting arrest charge. He was not charged with theft because the stolen earrings could not be located…until he underwent a body scan.
Detectives spotted foreign objects working its way through his digestive tract. While in jail, Gilder “spontaneously” asked staff whether he would be charged “with what’s in my stomach,” WFLA reported.
For nearly two weeks, he was forced to stay in a hospital before the stolen goods were finally expelled from his system. A trooper in the Orange County jail reportedly overheard him say: “I should have thrown them out the window.”
On Oct. 22, State Attorney Monique Worrell announced he was found guilty of robbery and grand theft following a trial. His sentencing is scheduled for December 7.
“This case involved not only a significant financial loss, but also the safety of employees who were confronted with violence while simply doing their jobs,” said State Attorney Monique Worrell. “This verdict sends a clear message that violence and theft will not be tolerated in our community. I commend the prosecutors who presented this case, along with the Orlando Police Department and all law enforcement partners whose work helped bring this defendant to justice.”
