A Florida man accused of swallowing nearly $770,000 worth of stolen Tiffany & Co. diamond earrings and then excreting them out after a brazen jewelry heist is now preparing for his next headline-making move: representing himself in court. This move comes after the alleged thief rejected the court’s plea deal and even dismissed his lawyer. Here’s the clip of the thievery:
Jaythan Lawrence Gilder, 33, with a lengthy criminal record, has rejected a plea deal and waived his right to legal counsel ahead of a scheduled trial next month in Orlando, Florida. The bizarre case, which earned him the nickname “The Man Who Pooped Diamonds,” has become one of the strangest crime stories in recent memory.
According to investigators, Gilder entered a Tiffany & Co. store at Orlando’s Mall at Millenia in February 2025, claiming to be an assistant for a player from the Orlando Magic. Employees escorted him into a VIP room to view expensive jewelry, including two sets of solitaire diamond earrings valued at more than $769,000 combined. Police say Gilder suddenly grabbed the jewelry and attempted to flee the store, as seen in the footage.
About six hours later, Florida Highway Patrol troopers stopped Gilder roughly 300 miles away on Interstate 10 in the Florida Panhandle. Officers reportedly noticed him moving something around in his mouth and attempting to swallow it. After refusing medical treatment and repeatedly objecting to X-rays, jail scans eventually revealed “foreign objects” inside his body. Investigators later confirmed the objects were the missing Tiffany earrings.
What followed was a two-week hospital stay under constant police guard while authorities waited for nature to take its course. By March 12, officials confirmed Gilder had passed all four stolen earrings. Oddly, two additional unidentified earrings were also recovered during the process, though authorities have never explained where those came from.
Can it get any more challenging?
Despite the mountain of evidence against him, including surveillance footage, matching Tiffany price tags found in his SUV, and the recovered jewelry itself, Gilder has decided to defend himself in court. A judge approved his request to waive counsel, though a public defender will remain available as standby assistance.
During the arrest, however, some of Gilder’s more notable questions to the cops include, “Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?” and regretful words like, “I should have thrown them out the window.” Meanwhile, social media users didn’t pass up the chance to drop some hilarious comments regarding Gilder’s predicament with diamonds.
“That’s gonna be an expensive turd,” jokes one YouTube commenter. Another showed concern for the cops or forensics officers who supposedly dug through Gilder’s defecation just to recover $770,000. “I would hate to be the one that has to go through his poop to check for the stolen diamonds,” according to another commenter.
