A retired university professor was charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewels after infiltrating wealthy circles along the East Coast, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Lawrence Gray, 79, was allegedly involved in the thefts of seven pieces of luxury and antique jewelry, which he then sold through a New York City-based auction house for $45,000, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.

Gray — who taught at John Cabot University in Rome until he retired in 2011 — voluntarily turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday morning, according to his defense attorney.

Prosecutors alleged that Gray consigned the seven stolen pieces between 2016 and 2018 — including a gold, silver and diamond pendant brooch, earrings and a compact from Italian jewelry company Buccellati.

The other valuables included a Van Cleef & Arpels ring and a 19th century English pocket watch, which Gray allegedly fraudulently sold through Doyle Auctioneers and Appraisers on the Upper East Side, the DA’s office said.

Some of the loot appears to have been swiped from wealthy owners in Georgetown and Newport, Rhode Island, according to an article published in The Washington Post last year.

According to a civil lawsuit, Gray used the connections of a former lover, the now-deceased Jacqueline Quillen, to infiltrate tony social circles and snatch the pricey pieces right out from under the owners’ noses, the report said.

The suit was filed in Washington, DC Superior Court by Quillen’s child Parker Quillen. It details how art, cash and jewels — including a $17,000 diamond ring, a $10,000 Patek Philippe watch and $4,700 diamond earrings — allegedly went missing on nine occasions when Gray was a guest in the homes of Jacqueline Quillen and her friends. 

The former political science professor, who lives in the DC-area, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court Tuesday afternoon hobbling on a cane but otherwise snazzily dressed in khaki slacks and a navy blue blazer with a dress shirt and a tie. 

He was arraigned on an indictment charging him with grand larceny, possession of stolen property and fraud — and released without bail on the condition he hand over his passport.

“The defendant allegedly repeatedly sold stolen jewelry in order to enrich himself,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement following the hearing.

“New York’s status as a global hub for auction houses is diminished when goods are illegally sold. We will continue to ensure that all transactions in the marketplace – regardless of item – are done fairly and in accordance with the law,” the statement said.

Gray is also facing felony charges in Rhode Island for theft, Manhattan prosecutors said.

“He didn’t do it,” his attorney, Christopher Zampogna, said after the hearing. “Based on my knowledge of the facts to date.”

Gray’s next hearing in the Manhattan case was set for October 31.