[MSN] WINNIPEG - The alleged boss of a sophisticated international crime ring who is accused of theft, fraud and possessing a priceless pearl and diamond heirloom appears to have struck a deal with Crown prosecutors.

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Alleged global crime ringleader plans guilty pleas for some charges; others
dropped

WINNIPEG - The alleged boss of a sophisticated international crime ring who
is accused of theft, fraud and possessing a priceless pearl and diamond
heirloom appears to have struck a deal with Crown prosecutors.

Gerald Blanchard was facing several dozen charges for allegedly heading a
criminal organization that is accused of bank robberies, identity thefts,
fraud, and pilfering the diamond pendant from an Austrian museum.

In a Winnipeg courtroom Friday, Blanchard agreed to plead guilty to 15
charges while Crown attorneys agreed to withdraw more than 30 charges.

"That's probably a hint that something's going on," Blanchard's lawyer,
Danny Gunn, told The Canadian Press.

Blanchard, 35, is expected to plead guilty to possessing the jewel-encrusted
Austrian pendant, thefts from banks in both Winnipeg and Edmonton, and being
part of a criminal organization, Gunn confirmed.

The Crown agreed to stay Blanchard's charges of attempted murder and
kidnapping, which Gunn said "upon looking at the evidence, had no basis."

Crown prosecutors didn't return calls for comment.

Winnipeg police started the investigation, dubbed "Project Kite," in 2004
after thieves managed to evade an elaborate security system at a city bank
and made off with a large amount of money.

The investigation took detectives to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Omaha,
Neb., London, Cairo and Austria, and eventually involved several police
agencies.

Officers in different cities uncovered an odd array of items that included
impressive spy gear, high-powered weapons, adult diapers, and something
mysteriously called the Egyptian Monkey, which one media report suggested is
a statue.

Police also seized about 300 electronic devices, some of which they suspect
were used to make fake credit and gift cards or to churn out false financial
documents.

Last January, eight people were arrested. But it wasn't until June that
police linked the alleged crime ring to the missing pendant. Police found
the Koechert Diamond Pearl in a home connected to Blanchard.

The pendant, which was stolen from an Austrian castle in 1998, was made for
Austria's Queen Elisabeth, a renowned monarch who died 100 years ago at the
age of 60 after being stabbed by an anarchist.

Seven other people are still facing charges.

"I'm sure it'll have some bearing on their situations," said Gunn.

Blanchard's next court date has not been set.