Investigators suspect that luxury jewelry worth hundreds of thousands of dollars was stolen during appliance installation at the Lake Minnetonka mansion of a longtime businessman who made a name for himself in the wine industry.
The theft from the Excelsior home of Jon and Arlene Malinski was reported in July to the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the possibility that two men who live in Hennepin County were involved.
Sheriff’s Cmdr. Brian Sloat told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan. 23 that both men have been questioned, but no arrests have been made.
The Sheriff’s Office has collected DNA and fingerprints from the men in effort to see whether there is a match with evidence collected in the home, according to search warrant affidavits filed in Hennepin County District Court.
The filing listed four items that were stolen and their approximate values: a gold Piaget watch ($200,000), a gold Rolex Submariner watch ($30,000), a white gold Rolex Submariner watch ($12,000) and a Molina black-pearl necklace ($120,000). Total: $362,000.
As of Jan. 23, all the items remain unaccounted for, Sloat said.
“We’ve entered them into a database for pawnshops and jewelry stores,” the commander said.
Jon Malinski, 82, has had many business pursuits in his career including ventures in office equipment, real estate, raising bison, senior housing and the Russian telecom industry. The Malinskis also founded Piattelli Vineyards in Argentina.
