ID thief’s
new job was to
evaluate jewelryExperts are divided over the
validity of "Cook's" appraisals
The Hawaii man who assumed the identity of a dead California resident over the past nine years to escape child-support payments performed appraisals of jewelry worth tens of thousands of dollars that was purchased by buyers across the country, according to people familiar with his work.
The story of Robert E.M. Sohnrey and his ties to the high-end jewelry business have created a national buzz in the appraisal community, and his case is expected to be discussed when industry experts gather next week in Arizona for the world's largest gem and mineral show.
"In the appraisal community, your name gets around pretty quick," said Brenda Reichel, a past president of the local chapter of the Gemological Institute of America's alumni association. "This is going to be a major topic next week."
"I'm sure they're going to bring it up," agreed graduate gemologist Karl Nakamura, who like Reichel plans to attend next week's event.
Sohnrey's story was detailed in Sunday's Star-Bulletin and quickly started making the rounds on the Internet among gemologists and others in the industry. Reichel, who teaches a gemology class at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, found out about the case via an e-mail from a mainland colleague.
While a California resident, Sohnrey began taking on the identity of Edward B. Cook in 1994 within a month or two of Cook's death and subsequently moved to Hawaii, where he completed the transformation to his new persona, even remarrying his wife using his stolen moniker.
In 1999, using Cook's name, he obtained his graduate gemologist credentials from the Gemological Institute, according to Alex Angelle, an institute spokesman.
The course and lab work required for such a designation typically takes about two years and costs about $12,000, Angelle said.
Even before Sohnrey got his graduate credentials, however, he started a pearl appraisal business with his wife in Hawaii in 1996.
The impostor Cook worked with a major Hawaii wholesaler of black pearls and did dozens of appraisals of expensive jewelry pieces that were displayed and purchased at shows across the country, according to Reichel, who turned over the presidency of the local alumni association to Cook in the 1990s.
Reichel said she occasionally was hired by buyers to appraise pieces that had been evaluated by Cook, with some worth $40,000 to $70,000. She recalled one case where the value approached $200,000.
Some of his work seemed on the mark, but a few cases raised questions, Reichel said.
Because Sohnrey obtained his credentials using a fraudulent name, Reichel said all his appraisals are suspect, and urged anyone with jewelry evaluated by him to get it reappraised. She said one insurance representative told her that appraisals performed by the impostor Cook would be considered invalid in the event a piece was stolen and an insurance claim was filed.
But Carolyn Fujioka, a spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance, said the issue of a fraudulent name should not have a bearing on an appraisal's validity if the person truly was certified.
"What would matter would be his expertise," she said, adding that each case would be considered on its merits.
But for peace of mind, people having questions might want to get another valuation, Fujioka said.
As word of Sohnrey's story spread yesterday, several gemologists said those who knew him in Hawaii were shocked by the news.
"He was just a very nice person, very gracious," said one industry acquaintance who did not want his name used.
Sohnrey, 49, pleaded guilty last month to Social Security fraud, identification theft, passport fraud and failure to pay child support. He is being held in the federal jail in Honolulu awaiting an Oct. 4 sentencing.
By the time he was arrested late last year, Sohnrey owed roughly $195,000 in child support and had collected $70,000 in disability benefits under Cook's name.
Sohnrey apparently started his identity caper when he obtained a California driver's license under Cook's name shortly after Cook's death in 1994.
At the time, anyone applying for a replacement license was required to prove he or she was in the country legally (a U.S. birth certificate would have sufficed), confirm one's name and birth date, provide a Social Security number and pass any required tests, according to Ron Owens, a spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
In the ensuing years, requirements for getting replacement licenses have been tightened.