Woman Charged with Stealing $92K in Jewelry, Silverware from Friends

A 49-year-old Mequon woman could face up to 20 years in prison after being accused of stealing more than $92,000 in jewelry and silverware from two friends who live in Bayside and Grafton.

Jill E. Binon was charged in Ozaukee County Circuit Court on Friday with two felonies: theft of movable property greater than $10,000 and receiving stolen property greater than $10,000.

According to the criminal complaint:

On May 12, Binon's friend in Grafton noticed that several pieces of jewelry were missing from her jewelry box, which was locked and hidden in a closet. Also missing were multiple pieces of Tiffany silverware. The total value of the missing items was estimated at $92,238.

During the investigation, detectives were told by the Grafton victim that Binon knew where the silverware and jewlery boxes were kept. There were no signs of forced entry, and nothing else was missing or disturbed.

The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Department detective investigating the thefts checked a property registry system to see whether any of the stolen items had been sold to local pawn shops.

There were 10 hits between Dec. 11 and April 28 for jewlery sold at the International Gold and Silver on Bluemound Road in Milwaukee. The owner of the shop was able to provide photos and receipts for the purchase of the items, and said that Binon had been selling him high-end items almost every week.

The Grafton victim was able to identify most items in the registry, but one transaction involved 20 items that were not hers. However, she noticed that the name on one of the items sold in that transaction belonged to a Bayside woman for whom Binon was the caretaker.

After her arrest, Binon made a call to the Bayside victim from the Ozaukee County Jail on May 18, which was recorded. During that phone call, Binon admitted to stealing both the Bayside and Grafton items. She said she had a gambling problem and she just "snapped," and did not know what she was doing when she took the things.

Binon also said she stole the items while the Bayside woman was in the hospital.

The criminal complaint did not list the value of the items taken from the Bayside woman.

Binon, who could face up to 20 years in prison and $50,000 in fines if convicted, is scheduled to appear in Ozaukee County Court for a status hearing on Wednesday.