The jeweler known for putting diamonds on celebrities from Kanye West to Sir Elton John was arrested Thursday on money-laundering charges.

Police said Yakov Arabov, known throughout the hip-hop world as Jacob Arabo or "Jacob the Jeweler," was connected to a multistate drug and money-laundering ring.

Arabov, who appeared briefly in U.S. District Court in Manhattan after his arrest, did not want to comment, said his lawyer, Daniel Gotlin. "It's been a difficult enough day for what they did to him," Gotlin said, declining to comment further. Bail was set for Arabov at $100,000, which the Russian immigrant immediately had paid.

The 41-year-old Arabov, who first came to fame in the mid-1990s as hip-hop and R&B artists started sporting his gem-encrusted pieces — was arrested at 8:30 a.m. on a warrant issued in Detroit by federal authorities. The authorities have charged him with conspiring with others to launder money in connection with a jewelry business.

Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Erin Mulvey said the arrest occurred at Arabov's midtown Manhattan store.

Source: Foxnews

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