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A small strip club stop nets huge loss for jewelry dealer
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Antoinette Keneley
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Matt Keneley
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
A California diamond merchant came to Las Vegas last year with a fortune in his pants.
He lost it at the Spearmint Rhino "gentleman's club,'' setting off a multi-million dollar theft investigation that has a former NFL football player and his schoolteacher wife facing possible prison terms.
The Las Vegas diamond caper began on June 2, 2009 when high-end jewelry dealer Eli Abdalnour blew into town carrying $10 million in rare stones in "a small black zip-up jewelry bag ... in the front of his pants," according to court documents.
After just a half-hour at the famed strip club he left $10 million lighter. Abdalnour later told police he "did not know how the pouch was removed from his waistband, and stated that he knew he last had it while seated at the Spearmint Rhino."
An international investigation by Las Vegas police netted three arrests, and on Friday a Clark County grand jury handed down indictments against former club bouncer Matt Keneley, 36, and his wife, Antoinette Keneley, 33. Each face three charges, including felony possession of stolen property and conspiracy to possess stolen property, a gross misdemeanor. If convicted, they each face one to 10 years in prison.
Abdalnour did not respond to calls for comment Friday, but court papers say he was in Las Vegas for the 2009 JCK Jewelry Show at the Sands Convention Center when he decided to visit the strip club. After just 30 minutes there, he was called away to a business meeting .
Soon after, Abdalnour realized the black pouch was gone and he raced back to the club, where a manager returned the pouch, which had been found by Matt Keneley. Abdalnour gave the manager $3,200 to show his appreciation.
But back at his hotel, Abdalnour realized two diamond rings were missing. One had a 3.01 karat diamond with a purplish-pink hue and two yellowish diamonds on the side, with a retail value of $2 million. The other had a 10.05 karat princess-cut diamond, with two 1.6 karat baguettes diamonds and multiple diamonds on the shank. It was worth $960,000.
Back again at the club, Abdalnour told the manager he would pay $10,000 for the return of the rings, and wouldn't contact authorities. He told the manager the diamonds were rare and would be hard to move on the open market. He went to police when the rings weren't returned.
A break in the case came July 30, 2009, when Abdalnour learned that a diamond with a purplish-pink hue had turned up in a New York City store. Three gemologists confirmed it was his.
Las Vegas police detectives traced the ring to Harry Chandi, a jewelry dealer in the Cayman Islands. Chandi, contacted in London, England, told investigators he bought the $2 million stone for $7,000 and two loose diamonds. He picked the Keneleys out of a photo lineup.
Investigators next learned the Keneleys sold the two loose diamonds from Chandi in Los Angeles for $18,000, and peddled the remaining diamonds from Abdalnour's pouch for $18,000 at a pawn shop in Dana Point, Calif.
Before going to the Caymans, the couple had asked a family friend who worked in the jewelry business, Richard Cullinan, how to sell diamonds they hoped would fetch $1.5 million. Cullinan told them moving "hot" stones would be hard, and helped sell the 10.05 karat diamond for $55,000 to the Gold Rush jewelry store, in the 8100 block of Sahara Avenue.
All told, the rocks netted just $98,000, 3.3 percent of their retail value. The Keneleys gave Cullinan $5,000, paid the note on their GMC Yukon, covered day-to-day expenses and financed the Caymans trip.
Police later recovered about $14,000 in cash from a safe deposit box. Authorities have yet to find the 10.05 karat princess cut diamond, which the Gold Rush said was sold to an unknown party in California.
After they were arrested on Aug. 27, 2009, the Keneleys confessed and wrote letters of apology to Abdalnour, according to court documents.
Cullinan in February pleaded guilty to attempted possession of stolen property, a gross misdemeanor. He was sentenced in August by Judge Valorie Vega to three years probation.
Matt Keneley is free on $50,000 bond. A two-time Academic All-American and starting lineman at the University of Southern California, he was drafted by the New York Giants in 1997 but played only seven NFL games for the San Francisco 49ers in 1999. In 1998 he played for the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League, and in 2001 played for the upstart XFL football league's Los Angeles Xtreme. His attorney, Tom Pitaro, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Antoinette Keneley was released on her own recognizance. She is listed as a third-grade teacher at John C. Bass Elementary School. A Clark County School District spokesman confirmed she is still employed by the district. Her attorney, Greg Knapp, declined to comment.
Employees of the Spearmint Rhino said Friday they were not authorized to comment.
The couple will be arraigned before District Court Judge James Bixler on Oct. 27.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.
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As a Teacher and a Mom I am thoroughly disgusted. I can not believe the greed and selfishness of people. I wonder if the couple even stopped to think about how their actions would affect their children? Now, not only have the parents screwed up their own lives but their children will forever carry this weight on their shoulders. What were they thinking?
FOR THOSE OF YOU JUDGING AND ASSUMING BEFORE YOU KNOW THE FACTS HERE IS ONE SHE WAS NOT A STRIPPER AS YOU ARE ALL ASSUMING IM NOT SAYING THAT WHAT THEY DID WAS RIGHT AT ALL BECAUSE IT WASNT IT WAS VERY WRONG AND THEY SHOULD BE PUNISHED WHAT BOTHERS ME THO IS WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU BRING JEWELS WORTH MILLIONS WITH YOU TO A STRIP CLUB ANYWAY STUPID
It doesn't say she was a stripper, but I think her MAJOR crime might be flying to the Cayman Islands to sling "hot" stones with her husband. And that's a crime she confessed to. But marrying that bonehead still counts as an offense. Cute? No. And let's face it, football players don't get an "education" from USC.
I didn't get from the story that she was a stripper. Her major crime is being married to a bone-head bouncer at a strip joint who OBVIOUSLY did nothing with his time spent at USC. And then conspiring with this "rocket surgeon" to sell high end jewels. And why didn't my third grade teacher look like her? I got stern old spinster frau's and butch lesbians.
Matt Keneley is kinda cute... I'll bet the boys in the pen are gonna think so. Soap on a rope, Mr. Keneley. Invest.
All muscle, no brains. A perfect fit for Las Vegas and its myriad businesses that look for no-talent help. Big, silicone chests and bulging biceps. Pure class.
But then again, going into a Vegas "gentleman's club" doesn't speak well to the intelligence of Mr. Abdalnour.
I guess that being a stripper and/or an alleged thief doesn't constitute dismissal as a CCSD teacher. Although I would hope she would be let go if sent to prison - which I imagine would be a tough environment for a prisoner who committed a crime like jewelry theft, which lacks a certain amount of "Street cred." I wonder if CCSD has any response to this? Are teachers expected to maintain a certain standard of morality? If stripping doesn't cross the line, then surely theft does?
A fool and his money....
I'm not sure what's worse: the fact that this teacher is a stripper, the fact that she is a thief, or the fact that CCSD still employs her knowing both of the other two facts. I hope these losers don't have kids of their own.
Gloria,
I'm wouldn't be so sure - I checked the accountability report of this "John Bass" school and it turns out they did NOT make AYP. Check your facts!
What does it matter if she is lacking in morals? What are her test scores like? As long as the school is making AYP and her scores are good, does it really matter that she's a jewelery thief? I mean, come on, man! Let's keep things in perspective. I'm sure the economy has everything to do with this. Let's blame the economy and not the deviant behavior of these two individuals.