Inset: Matthew Patrick Gay (Bradford County District Attorney’s Office). Background: A Walmart in Bradford County, Penn. (Google Maps).
A Pennsylvania man’s longtime “thievery” has been punished with a substantial stint in prison, according to Keystone State authorities.
Matthew Patrick Gay, aged 34, was recently found guilty of several charges connected to a series of diamond thefts at a Walmart Supercenter close to Athens Township, a small area near the New York State border, as stated in a press release from 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.
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Following his arrest in October 2022, Gay was convicted and scheduled to be sentenced in August 2024, according to information from the prosecutor’s office. However, Gay did not appear for his sentencing hearing; instead, he evaded the county, prompting the issuance of a warrant for his arrest.
“While evading capture, Gay engaged in similar crimes in Berks County,” the press release indicates. This county is situated roughly 130 miles south, resulting in a sentence of five to 24 months imprisonment, along with 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,”
