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Saints' Drew Brees Awarded $6.1M in Lawsuit Against Jeweler over Diamond Fraud
June 22, 2019
A jury awarded New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees $6.1 million in a lawsuit against jeweler Vahid Moradi, who Brees said defrauded him on diamond purchases from 2012 to 2016.
"The jury worked hard and saw Mr. Moradi as the confidence man that he is," Brees' attorney, Andrew Kim, said in a statement, per Ramon Antonio Vargas of the Advocate.
Brees said in June 6 testimony that Moradi sold him $15 million worth of diamonds, which the jeweler presented as a sound investment that would increase in value over time. An appraiser later told Brees in 2017 that he greatly overpaid for the diamonds, saying Moradi overestimated their value by around $7 million.
A ring purchased by Brees for $8 million was allegedly worth half that amount.
Moradi plans to appeal the verdict, saying he did not defraud Brees. He and his attorney say that the appraiser, Aldo Dinelli, defrauded Brees and his wife by underestimating the value of the diamonds.
The trial was heard by a civil jury that deliberated Thursday and Friday before reaching a verdict. If the verdict is overturned upon appeal, Brees could see the value of the settlement lessened or eradicated.
