This is the moment a fedora-wearing thief swiped £2,970,000 worth of gems after waving his silver cowboy pistol at staff.

Footage shows smartly dressed Jaysean Sutton, 43, stealing the jewellery in a braided wig at the diamond store in New York in August 2019.

Sutton forced employees to the ground with the glinting gun before ransacking the store in the eye-catching get-up and wig covering his bald head.

Lawyers have released the footage before his sentencing, where he faces a 14-year jail term.

Alexander Li, prosecuting, said: ‘Sutton robbed a jewellery store in Midtown Manhattan in broad daylight and with high-definition surveillance footage rolling. On camera, Sutton brandished a gun while employees lay bound on the floor.

‘Though the $3.4 million he looted is not a perfect measure of the seriousness of his crime, it is a proxy for the audacity of the crime in the public consciousness.’

Sutton, who carried out the heist with Pedro Davila, 30, and an unnamed suspect, has served multiple stints in prison for drug and firearm offences, and was released from state parole just 10 days before the robbery.

Sutton wore a braided wig and fedora while carrying out the heist, seemingly in an attempt to disguise himself (Picture: DCPI)

The store, which is based in New York’s Diamond District, draws in numerous celebrities (Picture: Google Maps)

Jaysean Sutton was captured brandishing his silver pistol at employees while wearing a blue suit and a fedora (Picture: USDOJ)

The armed trio entered the backroom of West 47th street store, known for its celeb clients including Nicki Minaj.

They tied up staff with duct tape and zip ties and spent all of 15 minutes tossing jewels into large bags.

They then fled to North Carolina, where they were found and arrested in a hotel on October 7.

In January this year Sutton pleaded guilty to the robbery and possessing the firearm.

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Smartly dressed Jaysean Sutton, 43, stole diamonds in a braided wig and fedora hat.