Jacob Arabov, also known as “Jacob the Jewler,” has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for federal prison for lying to investigators looking into a multi state drug ring. He pleaded guilty in October to falsifying records and giving false statements as part of a deal with federal prosecutors. His sentence was part of a seven year investigation into laundering more than $270 million in narcotics proceeds for a Detroit-based drug ring called the Black Mafia Family.
“I feel ashamed that I broke the laws of this country, a country that has been so good for me,” the Soviet immigrant told U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn. “I will carry this shame for the rest of my life.” Arabov, also known as “Jacob the Jeweler,”will also pay a fine of $2 million in a sentence handed down today by U.S. district court judge Avern Cohn in Detroit.
Arabov who became popular in the among rappers in the 1990s has been selling jewelry to celebrities like Victoria Beckham, politicians – Rudy Giuliani and rappers – Kanye West and Lil Kim. [AP]