Hard to Swallow

You are what you eat. In the case of Peter Lazaros, 44, convicted perjurer and suspected bank swindler, his last meal revealed another unpalatable identity: jewel thief.

A man with a taste for the finer things in life, Lazaros was staying at New York's Pierre Hotel in January 1977 when he asked the Bulgari jewel firm to bring an assortment of expensive gems to his room.

After a close inspection of the offerings, he declined to buy any. Bulgari officials later discovered that a $35,000 four-carat diamond and platinum ring was missing.

When they questioned Lazaros about its disappearance, he threatened to sue.

Lloyd's of London settled Bulgari's insurance claim for $17,000.

More than a year later, Lazaros was arrested on unrelated fraud charges in Michigan and last week died of still undetermined causes in jail. While performing a routine autopsy, doctors found the missing ring--in Lazaros' stomach. Police assume Lazaros swallowed the ring when he was jailed. "We theorize it would pass through his system and two days later he'd swallow it again," said one. No doubt Lazaros thought his secret was safe inside him, but once again it was proved that you can't take it with you.

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