Anaheim man pleads guilty to stealing Olympian's gold medal
A 32-year-old man from Anaheim pleaded guilty to stealing volleyball player Jordyn Poulter's gold medal from the 2020 Olympic Games.
Jordan Fernandez was sentenced to a year in jail or time served for two counts of burglary, two counts of identity theft and a single count of bringing or sending a controlled substance into jail, all of which are felonies, in addition to a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
He has been in custody since June 3. In addition to the possible jail time, he will be placed on two years of probation.
Fernandez has been in trouble with the law in the past, pleading guilty to a felony count of robbery in April 2020. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail for that charge. Additionally, he was placed on three years of probation, which he violated in Jan. 2022. He was jailed for 60 days for this charge.
Poulter's medal was stolen from her car on May 25 while it was parked in a garage near the team's training facility.
It was recovered by barbershop owners after they found it in a plastic bag left at their property.
"It is very exciting and surprising news that the medal has been found and recovered," Poulter said in a statement when the medal was found earlier this year. "A huge thank you to the couple who returned it to the Anaheim PD, as well as to everyone who has helped in this case. I am forever grateful."
