Guilherme Cipriani, 41, of Scottsdale, Ariz., has been arrested and charged with smuggling diamonds into the United States and providing a false statement to a federal agency, according to the Justice Department.
An indictment filed April 26 in Florida federal court charged that on Nov. 10, 2022, Cipriani attempted to smuggle 14 loose cut diamonds and 53 rough diamonds into the United States through Miami International Airport. Cipriani is also alleged to have lied to U.S. Customs and Border Protection by reporting he had not brought any commercial merchandise into the country and had spent zero dollars on commercial merchandise while abroad.
Cipriani’s attorney, Frank Quintero, tells JCK that he was limited in what he could say because of a local rule that prevents attorneys from commenting on the substantive matters of a case. But he says the “value of the diamonds, per the government’s own expert, is a total of $25,000.”
He adds: “The statement from the government that Mr. Cipriani looked suspicious, and was stopped because of that, is simply not true. It appears that the government had a tip that he would be on the flight with diamonds. This was not the work of some supersleuth agent who used his experience to notice suspicious activity. In fact, the agents were waiting for Mr. Cipriani at the door of the plane.”
Cipriani has been released on his own recognizance.
(Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
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