Oregon Jeweler Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Stealing from Customers and His Father

An Oregon jeweler who stole nearly a million dollars from customers and robbed his elderly father of his life savings has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.

The jail term is severe for a financial crime but is in keeping with the scope of his betrayal, the number of people he robbed, and the financial loss they suffered, said Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton.

Douglas Gamble (58) was at the center of one of the largest fraud cases ever investigated in Polk County after abandoning his 86-year-old father with a relative before coming under the spotlight of the Salem Police last fall.

Gamble left behind a trail of unhappy customers who had trusted him to repair family heirlooms, like a grandmother’s wedding ring, others who had paid thousands of dollars for customized jewelry, and others who later learned that Gamble had swopped gemstones with fakes.

By the time Gamble did a runner, 19 victims and a loss approaching $1 million in jewels and cash were uncovered by Salem police Detective Brian Shaw in a fraud case spanning four years.

Gamble had also robbed his father, a retired bank examiner, of his life savings, amounting to nearly $400,000.

He was convicted in a Polk County Circuit Court last week of nearly 24 counts of aggravated theft and theft, as well as first-degree criminal mistreatment and aggravated theft for crimes against his father. Gamble reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in which he accepted a 20-year prison sentence.

Victims Knew and Trusted Gamble says Polk County DA

‘They knew the guy. They trusted him…they stuck with him and he turned around and stole from them,’ is how Polk County District DA Felton described the case.

Felton said several of Gamble’s victims were older people who had wanted to support the jeweler because his business was going through a difficult time.

While the police have not uncovered signs of a lavish lifestyle, they have yet to uncover how Gamble spent the money.

Several victims shared their stories. Among them, Salem couple Michael McHugh Jr., 59, and his wife Karen. They consigned two diamond bracelets and a two-carat diamond ring with Gamble in 2018.

McHugh said the jewelry was worth $46,000, and the couple was expecting to receive $10,000 which they planned to use the proceeds on repairs to their home. When the jewelry had still not sold two years later, the McHugh’s asked to reclaim their goods but Gamble became elusive and shortly after that disappeared, together with their jewelry.

Last fall, Gamble dropped off his father at the home of his sister, Jennifer Kinney, who said her father did not have his phone, bank card, or identification with him. Kinney said her father appeared confused.

She told investigators that her brother had given a strange explanation about the disappearance of a jewel, climbed into his car, and drove away.

When Kinney visited her father’s bank, she discovered a balance of only $39 in his account. She investigated and found forged checks and unauthorized bank withdrawals, all linked to Gamble. Her father’s life savings had disappeared.

Kinney said their father had asked Gamble to resize an onyx and diamond ring commemorating his high school graduation. He never saw the ring again.