Crafty 'Grinch' Robs $95,000 From the Blind

An elderly couple was duped into letting a con artist into their home, and like Dr. Seuss' Grinch, the man proceeded to steal about $95,000 in jewelry once inside.

One of the victims was an 82-year-old blind man.

According to information released by the Skokie Police Department, officers responded to a residential burglary near the 8800 block of Kildare Avenue on Dec. 10 around 5 p.m. At this time, authorities declined to release further details about the victims.

Police reported that a man rang the residence's doorbell and told the 84-year-old woman who answered that he and his brother used to shovel snow for her husband a few years ago.

The suspect went on to say that he just wanted to check up on them and the woman let him inside. He then asked to say hello to her husband, police reported.

The scheme took a hostile turn when the suspect reached out to shake the husband's hand and tried to remove a ring from the right hand pinky. After struggling, the 82-year-old blind victim raised his hand up and handed over the ring because "he knew he was being robbed, but did not know if the subject had a knife or a gun," according to the report.

 The husband also did not say anything after the incident because he wasn't sure if the burglary suspect was still inside the house.

During the intrusion, an accomplice waited outside, and both men had two-way radios to maintain a communications link. After about 10 minutes, the burglary suspect left and fled with his partner in a green SUV, police said.

According to the police report, the ring is "conservatively" valued at around $45,000. A $31,000 Movado watch and about $19,000 in other jewelry items were also stolen.

"Typically, [these people] pose as people who are down on their luck and offer to shovel the snow for a few dollars," said Skokie police officer Joseph Marzigliano. "We try to inform citizens that these aren't 9 or 10 year old kids offering to shovel snow for a few dollars, these are adults.  Unfortunately, citizens must be extremely careful who they conduct business with."

He went on to say that the Village of Skokie requires all solicitors to register with Village Hall so they can receive an I.D. card with their name and business. 

The two suspects are described as either white or Hispanic males, 21-23 years old, standing between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11, and of average built. No arrests have been made as Skokie police continue their investigation.