Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 56-year-old Paul J. Blarr of Amherst is scheduled to appear before the New York Board of Parole in January 2023. The Erie County District Attorney’s Office has attempted to contact all of the victims who were impacted by the crimes committed by the former jeweler who stole nearly a million dollars from his numerous customers.   

Over the past several weeks, our office has notified more than 200 victims about the defendant’s upcoming hearing. Anyone who has been contacted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office can expect to receive a letter in the mail this week, detailing how to provide a victim impact statement as part of the parole review. The New York Board of Parole requested that all materials be submitted by Friday, December 9, 2022. District Attorney John Flynn encourages any additional victims to contact his office for information on how to provide a statement before the deadline.

Blarr, the former owner of RSNP Diamond Exchange previously located on Main Street in the Village of Williamsville, admitted to knowingly selling fake diamonds and other false gems with the intent to defraud his customers. The defendant also stole authentic diamonds and precious gems by replacing them with false stones in his customers’ jewelry settings. In addition, the defendant scammed customers by agreeing to sell their jewelry on consignment then failed to provide payment or return the items. His crimes occurred between January 1997 and March 2014.

Blarr pleaded guilty to eleven counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (Class “D” felonies), three counts of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (Class “E” felonies). As part of the plea, Blarr was ordered to pay $928,266 in restitution. To date, no restitution has been paid to the victims.

On January 12, 2015, former Erie County Court Judge Michael F. Pietruszka sentenced Blarr to an indeterminate term of incarceration between 23 to 69 years in prison. By law, his sentence was later modified to an indeterminate term of incarceration between 10 to 20 years in prison. With time served, Blarr is now scheduled for a parole hearing early next year.

“This case may have the most victims of any white-collar crime prosecuted by this office. This defendant admitted to scamming his customers over the course of nearly two decades. While we have attempted to contact everyone who was impacted by his crimes, some victims may have moved or changed their phone number since his conviction. I encourage anyone who was a victim of this jewelry scam to contact my office as soon as possible for more information on how to submit a statement as part of the upcoming Parole Board review,” said Erie County DA John Flynn.

Any victim who would like to contact the New York State Board of Parole regarding Paul Blarr is encouraged to contact Assistant District Attorney Brian P. Dassero of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Unit by calling 716-858-2559.