FinancialsAug 08, 2025
Brilliant Earth’s Q2 Sales Up 3% as Engagement Ring Sales RiseThe company raised its full-year sales guidance while noting it has not yet assessed the potential impact of the latest tariff news.
CrimeApr 25, 2017
Sapphire Co. Exec Charged with Forging Judge’s Signature
The president of New York City-based The Natural Sapphire Company allegedly forged the signature on counterfeit court orders to remove online reviews.
New York--The president of one New York City sapphire company is being charged with forging a federal judge’s signature to help repair his business’s reputation online.
The Natural Sapphire Company is a third generation jeweler in Manhattan specializing in pieces featuring the corundum. The company made headlines in early 2011 when President Michael Arnstein said sales had increased exponentially thanks to Kate Middleton’s sapphire engagement ring.
Since then, the company has been fighting fake negative reviews online.
In July 2011, The Natural Sapphire Company filed a lawsuit against Mumbai-based Transpacific Software, a web design and software development company, and its founder, Prashant Telang, for cybersquatting and defamation.
The jewelry company had hired Telang to design its website at TheNaturalSapphireCompany.com and to purchase a number of domains on its behalf in 2004, the same year it changed its name from Natural Sapphire Company to The Natural Sapphire Company and moved its business to operating almost solely online.
In January 2011, it terminated its relationship with Telang due to his “failure to cooperate and to perform his duties as required.”
Shortly after that, Telang changed the contact information listed under the domain’s registration, the July 2011 complaint stated, and the company’s website “repeatedly became disabled … as a result of Telang’s attempts to harass Natural Sapphire Company, disrupt and disparage its business and extort money from the company,” court papers state.
After seizing control of the website, The Natural Sapphire Company claimed that Telang was using the domain name to redirect to a website listing links to forums where Telang, posing as a customer, posted false and disparaging reviews of the company. He also sent the company emails taunting them about his actions and how many potential customers they were losing as a result.
According to court documents, Telang asked for $100,000 to stop the harassment and return the domain to the company.
The Natural Sapphire Company’s case against Telang was settled in 2012 when U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan ordered Transpacific to take down at least 54 fake reviews across a number of review and consumer advocacy websites such as ScamInformer.com, PissedConsumer.com and RipoffReport.com.
Now it is Arnstein who is facing a court case, as federal prosecutors have filed a complaint alleging that the jeweler took matters into his own hands to remove reviews beyond those ordered by the judge.
A complaint filed in March in U.S. District Court for
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
the Southern District of New York charges Arnstein with two counts of forging the signature of Judge Nathan as well as one more count of conspiracy to forge a judge’s signature between 2014 and February of this year.
According to the court papers filed in the case, in October 2014, Arnstein instructed an individual at his company to create a counterfeit judicial order by digitally altering the real one. He then allegedly emailed a copy of the counterfeit order to Google, requesting that the company remove certain URLs from its search results.
In the criminal complaint, the U.S. Attorney’s office also provided examples of email correspondence from Arnstein to various individuals including one that read: “No bullshit: if I could do it all over again I would have found another court order injunction for removal of links (probably something that can be found online pretty easily), made changes in Photoshop to show the links that I wanted removed and then sent to ‘removals@google.com’ as a pdf--showing the court order docket number, the judges [sic] signature--but with the new links put in.”
According to the complaint, Google received at least 10 more emails between Jan. 19, 2015, and Feb. 10, 2017, with forged orders to remove links and the forged signature of Judge Nathan, who signed Arnstein’s initial judgment in 2012.
Arnstein was arrested on April 17 and went before U.S. Magistrate Barbara Moses that afternoon. He was released on his own recognizance.
According to court documents, a preliminary hearing in the case is set to take place May 17.
When contacted by National Jeweler, Arnstein’s lawyer, Steven Brounstein, emphasized that the case has nothing to do with the company’s reputation with real clients, and added that Arnstein was “clearly victimized” in the case involving Telang and his company.
(Telang and his company have no connection to the current case against Arnstein, and Telang noted via email that he has had no contact with Arnstein or his company since 2012.)
Arnstein is pleading not guilty.
“Our legal team looks forward to working with the Justice Department so we can present the extraordinary mitigating circumstances that led to these charges,” he told National Jeweler. “Our company has been through a tremendous challenge, which we are sure will be of great interest to many trade professionals and internet-based businesses. We cannot make any further comment until we have further discussions with Justice Department on this case.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated post-publication to add a statement from Transpacific’s Prashant Telang.
According to the court papers filed in the case, in October 2014, Arnstein instructed an individual at his company to create a counterfeit judicial order by digitally altering the real one. He then allegedly emailed a copy of the counterfeit order to Google, requesting that the company remove certain URLs from its search results.
In the criminal complaint, the U.S. Attorney’s office also provided examples of email correspondence from Arnstein to various individuals including one that read: “No bullshit: if I could do it all over again I would have found another court order injunction for removal of links (probably something that can be found online pretty easily), made changes in Photoshop to show the links that I wanted removed and then sent to ‘removals@google.com’ as a pdf--showing the court order docket number, the judges [sic] signature--but with the new links put in.”
According to the complaint, Google received at least 10 more emails between Jan. 19, 2015, and Feb. 10, 2017, with forged orders to remove links and the forged signature of Judge Nathan, who signed Arnstein’s initial judgment in 2012.
Arnstein was arrested on April 17 and went before U.S. Magistrate Barbara Moses that afternoon. He was released on his own recognizance.
According to court documents, a preliminary hearing in the case is set to take place May 17.
When contacted by National Jeweler, Arnstein’s lawyer, Steven Brounstein, emphasized that the case has nothing to do with the company’s reputation with real clients, and added that Arnstein was “clearly victimized” in the case involving Telang and his company.
(Telang and his company have no connection to the current case against Arnstein, and Telang noted via email that he has had no contact with Arnstein or his company since 2012.)
Arnstein is pleading not guilty.
“Our legal team looks forward to working with the Justice Department so we can present the extraordinary mitigating circumstances that led to these charges,” he told National Jeweler. “Our company has been through a tremendous challenge, which we are sure will be of great interest to many trade professionals and internet-based businesses. We cannot make any further comment until we have further discussions with Justice Department on this case.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated post-publication to add a statement from Transpacific’s Prashant Telang.
More on Crime
The Latest
Events & AwardsAug 08, 2025
GJEPC’s Jewellers for Hope Celebrates 10 Years of FundraisingThe organization has raised more than $1.3 million for charity since its inception.
TrendsAug 08, 2025
Piece of the Week: Rahaminov Diamonds’ Bezel BangleThe brand’s latest iteration of a bezel-set diamond bangle features clean lines and a timeless design for a new modern silhouette.
Brought to you by
Taking the Moment Head On: How Rio Grande Champions the Present & Future of Fine JewelryAs a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.
WatchesAug 07, 2025
Bulova’s New Collection Honors Tony BennettThe first watch in the series commemorates his participation in the Civil Rights movement, marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
Weekly QuizAug 08, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Lab-GrownAug 07, 2025
Chatham Releases Catalog for Loose Lab-Grown GemstonesThe catalog contains a complete listing of all the loose gemstones in stock, as well as information about the properties of each stone.
TechnologyAug 07, 2025
Rembrandt Charms Debuts New Website, Bird CharmsThe company added a retailer dashboard to its site and three new birds to its charm collection, the cardinal, blue jay, and hummingbird.
Brought to you by
Investing in the Next Generation of Bench JewelersThe Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.
Policies & IssuesAug 06, 2025
Tariff on India to Rise to 50%, Trump Says An additional 25 percent tariff has been added to the previously announced 25 percent.
MajorsAug 06, 2025
Claire’s Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy AgainThe jewelry and accessories retailer plans to close 18 stores as part of the proceedings.
IndependentsAug 06, 2025
Smith & Son Jewelers to Close 107-Year-Old Location Its Springfield, Massachusetts, store is set to close as owner Andrew Smith heads into retirement.
CollectionsAug 06, 2025
Zahn-Z Swims With Whales in ‘Beluga’ CollectionDesigner Hiba Husayni looked to the whale’s melon shaped-head, blowhole, and fluke for her new chunky gold offerings.
TrendsAug 06, 2025
Paola De Luca to Release Trendbook 2027+She will present the 23rd edition of the trend forecasting book at Vicenzaoro on Sept. 7.
CollectionsAug 05, 2025
Mignon Faget Commemorates 20th Anniversary of Hurricane KatrinaThe New Orleans-based brand’s “Beyond Katrina” jewels honor the communities affected by the storm.
ColumnistsAug 05, 2025
The PR Adviser: Affiliate Marketing Is the Cost of CoverageLilian Raji explains why joining an affiliate network is essential for brands seeking placements in U.S. consumer publications.
Events & AwardsAug 05, 2025
JA Announces Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship WinnersThe organization has awarded a total of $42,000 through its scholarship programs this year.
Events & AwardsAug 04, 2025
Gem Awards, David Yurman Introduce $50K Grant for Emerging DesignersThe winner of the inaugural David Yurman Gem Awards Grant will be announced live at the 2026 Gem Awards gala.
TrendsAug 04, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: August’s Bright BaublesAs summer winds down, celebrate the sunny disposition of the month’s birthstones: peridot and spinel.
MajorsAug 04, 2025
Borsheims Welcomes New Assistant Facilities ManagerXavier Dibbrell brings more than a decade of experience to the role.
MajorsAug 01, 2025
Helzberg President Julie Yoakum Moves Over to Signet JewelersThe addition of Yoakum, who will lead Kay and Peoples, was one of three executive appointments Signet announced Thursday.
MajorsAug 01, 2025
Jewelers Mutual Names Mike Alexander as President The insurance company’s previous president and CEO, Scott Murphy, has split his role and will continue as CEO.
SourcingAug 01, 2025
Gemfields’ Auction Revenue Drops 50% in H1The nearly six-month pause of operations at its Kagem emerald mine earlier this year impacted the miner’s first-half results.
CollectionsAug 01, 2025
Piece of the Week: Hernsdorf’s ‘Tears of Aphrodite’ NecklaceThe necklace uses spinel drops to immortalize the moment Aphrodite’s tears mixed with her lover Adonis’ blood after he was fatally wounded.
SourcingJul 31, 2025
De Beers Records $189M First-Half Loss The diamond miner and marketer warned last week that it expected to be in the red after significantly cutting prices in Q2.
Events & AwardsJul 31, 2025
These Are the 2025 CASE Award WinnersJewelers of America’s 35th annual design contest recognized creativity, artistry, style, and excellence.
IndependentsJul 31, 2025
Matthew Tratner Takes Over as CBG President Tratner succeeds Andie Weinman, who will begin stepping back from the buying group’s day-to-day operations.
Policies & IssuesJul 30, 2025
Tariff on India Will Be 25%, Trump Says The president made the announcement via Truth Social Wednesday, adding that India also will face a penalty for its dealings with Russia.
