Two former employees of a moving company are accused of looting thousands of dollars worth of jewelry under the noses of unsuspecting customers.

Steven H. Dittmer, 37, and William A. Negley, 30, both of Butler, took the valuables from numerous homes in 2011 and 2012 while on the job, state police said.

The suspects, according to court documents, assumed they could get away with their crimes because the owners, with so much property to move, would never miss just a few items taken from each home.

But investigators eventually caught on to the alleged criminal enterprise and last week charged Dittmer and Negley with felony counts of theft and receiving stolen property. Both men also are charged with misdemeanor theft by deception.

Police suspect Dittmer stole $13,658 worth of jewelry. Negley’s tally was valued at $8,417.

The alleged thieves sold the jewelry at Butler County gold stores. Dittmer used the money to buy drugs, investigators said. Negley paid bills with the money he received.

Only a small fraction of the property has been recovered, authorities said.

Dittmer on Friday was arraigned on charges. He is free on $5,000 unsecured bail. Negley was to turn himself in to authorities today, police said.

Investigators in May 2012 identified the defendants after reviewing the Butler County Precious Metals database, documents said.

They found that Dittmer between Oct. 25, 2011, and May 2, 2012, sold jewelry at gold stores on 26 occasions. Negley during about the same time frame sold jewelry at stores on 13 occasions.

Both men at that time were employed by Hindman Moving and Storage in Connoquenessing Township.

During their investigation, police spoke to the victims, 20 in all, who acknowledged they had hired Hindman Moving. Many of those owners were unaware that they were missing items after they moved.

But the owners were able to identify their property from photographs of the stolen jewelry obtained from the precious metals database, documents said.

The defendants during interviews with investigators confessed to the thefts, police said. Both admitted they targeted homes while on the job.

Dittmer acknowledged he took jewelry from jewelry boxes and dresses and from under couches and mattresses, police said,

He recalled one particular move March 27, 2012, when he and Negley carried out of a house a large jewelry box that they loaded onto the truck.

“(Dittmer) related that Negley told him there was so much stuff (the owners) couldn’t miss it and he was taking something,” a police affidavit said. “Dittmer figured since he was the boss, if Negley was taking something he might as well take something.”

The Butler Eagle could not reach the defendants for comment. It was not known if either suspect has an attorney.

A woman who answered the telephone at the Hindman Moving office declined to comment this morning.