A Pennsylvania man’s longtime “thievery” has been punished with a substantial stint in prison, according to Keystone State authorities.
Matthew Patrick Gay, 34, was recently convicted on multiple offenses related to a string of diamond thefts that occurred at a Walmart Supercenter near Athens Township — a small community along the New York State border — throughout 2022, according to a press release issued by the Bradford County District Attorney’s Office.
In sum, the defendant stole seven diamond rings — valued at $7,362.50 — from the same store on several separate occasions.
This was not, however, the first time Gay was convicted.
After his arrest in October 2022, the defendant was found guilty and slated to be sentenced in August 2024, according to the prosecutor’s office. But Gay did not attend his sentencing hearing; instead, he fled the county, and a warrant was eventually issued for his arrest.
“While on the run, Gay committed similar offenses in Berks County,” the press release says — a county located some 130 miles south — leading to a sentence of five to 24 months behind bars, plus two years of probation.
In April 2025, the defendant made his way back to Bradford County, where he then faced charges of retail theft and default in required appearance — the second charge due to skipping his original sentencing date. Both of those charges are considered felonies in the third degree.
In the present case, Gay was caught on surveillance footage asking a clerk behind the jewelry counter to view a particular ring, according to the prosecutor’s office. Then, when the employee was distracted, Gay switched out the stolen ring with a ring from his pocket.
At one point, the defendant was charged with grand larceny in the Empire State “for doing the same thing,” according to the prosecutor’s office. But those charges were eventually dropped.
Gay was ultimately sentenced to a minimum of 23 months and 258 days in state prison, with a maximum sentence of 95 months.
“Gay’s criminal history includes more than two dozen offenses of this nature,” Bradford County District Attorney Richard Wilson said in a statement. “For that reason, a lengthy state prison sentence is appropriate. It appears to be the only way we can protect society from Matthew Gay’s thievery,”
