Arsen Canaj
Introduction
Arsen Canaj, a 58-year-old Westchester County man, has been sentenced to two-to-six years in state prison for stealing approximately $438,000 worth of diamonds, precious gems, and jewelry from New York businesses through a forged-check scheme that stretched from 2018 to 2021 — and for jumping bail on the two indictments that followed . Canaj pleaded guilty in September 2026 to two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and one count of Bail Jumping in the Second Degree, admitting in court that he posed as a buyer and used forged checks to walk away with a five-carat diamond, a Rolex watch, loose gemstones and emeralds from four victims across Manhattan . At his 13 November 2026 sentencing, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the sentence sends a message that “those who scam Manhattan’s business owners will be prosecuted” .
Background Information
Canaj’s largest single theft came on 15 July 2018, when he and co-defendant Shlomo Gross — previously convicted of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree — stole a diamond worth approximately $224,000 from an independent gem wholesale purchaser and seller . Gross posed as an intermediary of diamond buyers and sellers, telling the victim he had a buyer interested in a five-carat, brilliant-cut diamond; Canaj then posed as the buyer and handed over a forged check in the amount of $224,057 for the 5.06-carat stone . On 13 December 2018, Canaj went to an antique watch store, said he wanted to buy a Rolex watch for $25,000, and paid with a cashier’s check — the owner learned from her bank shortly after the pick-up that the check was forged .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced: two-to-six years in state prison after guilty pleas to grand larceny and bail jumping.
In May and June of 2020, Canaj stole approximately $132,000 in jewelry and precious stones from a third victim by handing over three forged checks in exchange for the goods . On 8 May 2021, he stole $57,163 worth of emeralds from a fourth victim, falsely presenting himself as a gem dealer while using a false identity and paying with a forged check . After two separate indictments were obtained for this conduct, Canaj failed to appear for scheduled appearances on both indicted cases on 5 August 2022, and the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest the same day . On 24 September 2026, he pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to the two grand larceny counts and the bail-jumping count, with a promised two-to-six-year term to be imposed at sentencing .
Public Reaction and Consequences
At the sentencing, District Attorney Bragg said: “Arsen Canaj has been sentenced to 2-to-6 years in state prison for stealing approximately $438,000 of diamonds, precious gems, and jewelry from New York businesses,” adding, “I hope today’s sentencing sends a message: those who scam Manhattan’s business owners will be prosecuted” . At the plea, Bragg had been blunter: “Arsen Canaj went to great lengths to take advantage of business owners by stealing approximately $438,000 worth of diamonds, precious gems, and jewelry with forged checks. He now faces time in state prison for his conduct” . The case was handled by the DA’s Financial Frauds Bureau, with Assistant D.A. Nina Radolinski prosecuting .
Current Status
Canaj is beginning his two-to-six-year state prison sentence imposed on 13 November 2026, a term that covers both the theft scheme and his 2022 failure to appear on the two pending indictments . His co-defendant Gross had already been convicted of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree before Canaj’s plea . No appeal was reported in the sentencing announcement .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Canaj’s scheme — four thefts across three years, two indictments, and four years as a bench-warrant fugitive after skipping court in 2022 — ends with a felony record carrying grand larceny and bail-jumping convictions and a state prison term in his late fifties . The DA’s office framed the sentence as a deterrent message to the diamond-district economy his forgeries preyed on, where a single five-carat stone worth $224,000 could change hands on the strength of a piece of paper . The case also documents the cost of the flight: the two additional-to-theft years’ exposure came from the bail-jumping conviction stacked on top of the larceny pleas .