Dude probably could have recovered a portion if he didn't try to strong-arm the guy infront of other people.
"Please"
"Finders Fee"
"How can we work this out"
I didn't see any of those approaches.
Edit: I did see a lot of
"Theif"
"Calling the Police"
"Felony charges".
When dude tried strong-arming infront of others, other dude naturally felt compelled not to appear 'weak'.
I had previously been amicable in email and received no response.
It was already clear to me at this point that he was acting in bad faith, the strong arm approach was basically the last effort before contacting local authorities.