1 Suspect Is Arrested, 1 Sought After $25,000 Diamond Theft

Two men who met with a diamond salesman at a South Coast Plaza coffee shop Tuesday swapped three fake diamonds for real ones worth $25,000 and escaped, police said.

Newport Beach officers arrested 41-year-old Denis Sidhoum of Huntington Beach, but a second suspect and the diamonds were still missing Tuesday night, Sgt. George Yezbick said.

Police are searching for a man who identified himself as Isaac. He is 50 to 55 years old, white, 5 feet 9 inches and 180 to 200 pounds, with gray hair, a beard and mustache and blue eyes.

The theft occurred about 10:30 a.m. when Robert Drew Vorzimer, 30, of Los Angeles met the two at the coffee shop to show them some diamonds. Vorzimer had arranged the meeting ahead of time, Yezbick said.

When Vorzimer showed the men four diamond rings, they removed the stones of three of the rings to inspect them, and swapped the jewels with fakes, Yezbick said.

“They give the fakes back to the guy and leave the coffee shop to ostensibly get money from the bank,” Yezbick said.

Vorzimer promptly realized he had been taken and followed the men’s white Chevrolet Blazer to a nearby market, where they eluded him. The victim then flagged down a Costa Mesa police officer, who broadcast an alert.

Sidhoum was arrested in Newport Beach moments later. He was booked into Costa Mesa City Jail on suspicion of grand theft and held on $10,000 bail.

Police described the missing diamonds as a 1.78-karat round cut, valued at $10,000; a 3.01-karat princess cut valued at $10,000; and a 3.2-karat round cut valued at $5,000.