Police: New Kensington man faces felony charge for stealing, selling $20K worth of wife's jewelry

New Kensington police accused a man of stealing $20,000 worth of jewelry from his wife and selling it to a local shop.

Sean Richard Imm, 36, of the 500 block of Greenridge Road was charged with a felony count of theft.

He was released from the Westmoreland County jail after a bail agency posted a $15,000 bond on his behalf, according to court records.

Imm faces a preliminary hearing on the charge before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on April 6.

The woman notified police Tuesday that her jewelry was missing from a locked safe and jewelry cabinet in the master bedroom, according to authorities.

She told police that she bought some of the jewelry and some was inherited from her grandmother and mother, according to a criminal complaint.

When police questioned Imm, he told them he gets the jewelry at garage sales and resells it to a local store that buys gems, precious metals and coins, the complaint said.

Imm initially denied selling any of his wife’s jewelry but then admitted that he did it “once” in February.

However, the store owner told investigators that Imm came into the store numerous times since November and sold about $10,000 worth of jewelry.

The woman was able to identify her stolen items from photos taken by the store, police said.

When investigators questioned Imm a second time, he admitted to taking his wife’s jewelry and selling it, the complaint said.

He directed police to look for some of the jewelry in boxes in the basement and in a pink duffel bag in the back of his pickup, where a number of items were recovered, police said.

The jewelry Imm sold to the store combined with the items found in his house and truck accounted for only about half of the $20,000 in jewelry reported stolen, authorities said.