Brooklyn Man Handed Prison Sentence for Scam to Buy Jewelry

A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to four to 12 years in state prison for using money from a city account to buy diamonds, local media reported.

Over the course of 13 months, Tracy Ball, an unemployed social worker, stole $3 million in over 600 electronic transfers from a city controller’s office account used to pay worker’s compensation claims. He then used the money to purchase jewelry from Jewelry Television Network.

Before sentencing Ball, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Renee White said, “I guess you liked jewelry, sir.” Ball responded by saying he was “truly sorry” for his actions.