WESTLAND, Mich. – A man is facing federal charges after allegedly stealing from a jewelry store in Westland and trying to pawn a necklace he stole the same day.
Police responded to a jewelry store on Warren Road in Westland on April 15, 2025, at around 2:30 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery.
Victims described the suspect as a man in his 50s or 60s wearing a blue shirt, black coat, red hat, glasses and carrying a purple Xfinity bag.
Court documents said the suspect is seen on surveillance footage entering the store multiple times throughout the day.
According to witnesses, he identified himself under a fake name and inquired about lab-created diamonds while making small talk with employees.
John Talerico faces two federal charges—Hobbs Act robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
What happened
At around 2 p.m., the suspect told employees he was interested in buying two lab-created rings and said his name was John Alerino, residing in Texas.
The man briefly left the store and came back with a black handgun with a silver slide and pointed it at an employee. He allegedly told the employee to place ten gold lab-created rings and three Cuban necklace chains into his Xfinity bag. He reportedly threatened to “blast” the employee if he triggered an alarm.
The man led two employees to a back room and demanded money from the safe, but they said there was no money in the safe. He then told them to open a register, where he took about $200.
He then allegedly pepper-sprayed the employees, shut them in the back room, and left the store.
Suspect’s car
Westland police said surveillance footage from nearby stores showed a black sedan driving in the parking lot near the jewelry store at 10:39 a.m.
The car does not park in view of the camera.
At 10:46 a.m., the suspect walks westbound through the parking lot and enters the Westland Mall entrance.
At 2:25 p.m., the suspect runs southbound from the mall entrance into the parking lot.
Using Flock cameras, police found that a black Buick sedan drove past Warren and Newburgh roads in Westland at 10:26 a.m. on April 15, which was about 1.3 miles from the jewelry store. Flock cameras also showed the same car traveling past Ford and Wayne roads at 2:35 p.m., which is about 1.4 miles from the store.
According to a Law Enforcement Information Network, the license plate on the car was registered to John Talerico from Westland.
Prior conviction
Court documents said Talerico committed a string of robberies in Maryland and other states in 2011.
In August 2013, Talerico was sentenced to 108 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release in Maryland.
Identifying suspect, stolen necklace
Police said Talerico’s driver’s license photo closely matched the description of the suspect seen on surveillance video.
Court documents said law enforcement databases show that Talerico pawned a men’s rope yellow gold necklace at a pawn shop in Detroit on April 15, 2025, at around 3:30 p.m.
At the pawn shop, he presented his Michigan driver’s license to an employee when he pawned the necklace.
Police recovered the necklace and presented it to the jewelry store’s employees. They confirmed that the necklace had been stolen from them earlier that day.
Surveillance footage showed Talerico driving a pickup truck to the pawn shop. That truck was registered under his name.
On April 18, 2025, police conducted surveillance at his home in Westland and saw both the black sedan and the pickup truck in front of his house.
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