Jeweller - September 2020

News
Gold dealers linked to 2017 Melbourne robberies sentenced over stolen goods
The three men were initially charged with
more than 450 offences each, but a deal with
prosecutors saw them plead guilty to single
charges earlier this year.
On 25 August, Judge Johns sentenced Alejandro
Mendieta Blanco, 34, to four months in jail and
a two-year community corrections order for
purchasing stolen property valued at $29,000.
He noted that Mendieta Blanco had immigrated
to Australia alone as a teenager, and had built
a successful business as well as supporting
charitable causes.
Alejandro Mendieta Blanco (above) and his brother Julio have been sentenced for their roles in purchasing jewellery
and watches stolen from Melbourne stores in 2017.
However, he called it “a great shame” that
his good reputation had been “sullied” by
“succumbing to the temptation of easy money
by dishonest means”.
Colombian-born brothers Alejandro and Julio
Mendieta Blanco, who previously operated the
Gold Buyers Melbourne business, have been
sentenced after pleading guilty to receiving stolen
goods linked to the 2017 Melbourne jewellery
store robberies.
The pair were arrested in October 2017 following
police surveillance and an undercover operation,
which found the brothers and a long-term
employee, Chey Tenenboim, were purchasing
gold jewellery and watches without asking for
identification, as is legally required.
On 25 August, Judge Johns sentenced Alejandro
Mendieta Blanco, 34, to four months in jail and
a two-year community corrections order for
purchasing stolen property valued at $29,000”
In a previous hearing, Judge Scott Johns, of the
County Court of Victoria, described their actions
as “acting as a customer for the thief” and “very
dishonest”.
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald report
that Gold Buyers Melbourne recorded turnover
of $66 million in the 2015-16 financial year.
Mendieta Blanco previously flaunted a luxurious
lifestyle on social media; in June 2017, four
months before his arrest, pop star Delta
Goodrem had serenaded him at his 30th birthday.
Julio Mendieta Blanco, 37, was sentenced to
a two-and-a-half-year community corrections
order after pleading guilty to receiving stolen
goods valued at $45,000, but was spared jail.
The Age reports that he had read a letter in court
expressing remorse and apologising to those who
had been robbed; he also claimed to have been
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New Australia-first diamond resource now available for jewellery retailers
involved with the selection of the diamond for their
custom-made piece of jewellery.
It will also allow the retailer to communicate their
diamond expertise to the client during the search
process.” Meanwhile, the Wholesale Price Portal
allows for quick price comparisons, allowing retailers
to find the best value diamond that meets their
specifications.
Global Diamond Vault is designed to assist retailers in sourcing the best value stones, both at wholesale and
alongside customers.
Following a three-year development process,
the Nationwide Jewellers buying group has now
launched Global Diamond Vault, a diamond-sourcing
program that lists more than 20,000 stones from
suppliers in Australia, New Zealand, Antwerp,
Mumbai, Hong Kong and New York.
The program allows Nationwide members to easily
compare diamonds from the group’s preferred
suppliers using a range of different search filters, and
includes both a Wholesale Price Portal and Retail
Price Portal – the latter of which has been designed
for retailers to use in conjunction with customers.
While there are several international digital diamond
sourcing platforms currently operating – including
the World Federation of Diamond Bourses’ Get
Diamonds and Rapaport’s RapNet – it is believed
the Global Diamond Vault is the first one available to
jewellers in Australia and New Zealand that includes
an integrated customer-focused facility.
Colin Pocklington, managing director Nationwide,
said, “We expect the Retail Portal to be very popular
with customers, as it allows them to be highly
“We expect the Retail Portal to be
very popular with customers, as it
allows them to be highly involved with
the selection of the diamond for their
custom-made piece of jewellery”
– Colin Pocklington, Nationwide Jewellers
Pocklington said the Global Diamond Vault
represented another addition to Nationwide’s
existing diamond marketing programmes, including
the annual Antwerp diamond-sourcing trip which
will be held as a virtual event in September.
12 | September 2020