Seven people have been charged in connection with a previously unsolved jewellery heist involving US$100 million worth of diamonds, emeralds and other high-value items in what is believed to be the largest crime of its kind in American history.
According to a press release published by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the robbery — which happened nearly three years ago — saw the suspects stalk an armoured truck transporting jewellery roughly 482 kilometres from a show in San Francisco to a rural rest stop north of Los Angeles. The suspects then allegedly broke into the vehicle while one driver was sleeping and the second was eating a meal and stole 24 bags of its precious contents.
The men are accused of stealing around “$100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches” from a Brinks semitruck in July 2022.
Some of the jewellery was recovered during the execution of search warrants on June 16.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles FBI released photographs of the items.
One of the seven suspects had performed reconnaissance on the jewellery show for multiple days in 2022 before robbing the truck with the remaining suspects in the early morning of July 11, the BBC reported.
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It is unclear how the suspects gained access to the truck.
Tuesday’s indictment charged the suspects with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment, the Department of Justice said, naming:
- Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31
- Jazael Padilla Resto, 36
- Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, 41
- Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano, 60
- Jorge Enrique Alban, 33
- Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42
- Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36
Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig and Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores were arrested Monday and have been indicted on federal theft and conspiracy charges, authorities said.
Four suspects remained at large on Tuesday. Padilla Resto is serving a prison sentence in Arizona for an unrelated burglary and is expected to appear in court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
In the days following the robbery, Mestanza, Presilla, Alban, Lugo, and Valencia all deactivated the cellphone numbers they had been using during the heist, the U.S. Attorney’s release says.
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The alleged thieves, it appears, are no strangers to highway robbery.
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Months earlier, on March 22, 2022, Mestanza, Padilla Resto, Lugo and Valencia allegedly stole $240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from a cargo shipment in Ontario, Calif.
Those same defendants, and Alban, allegedly then robbed a box truck driver of $57,377 worth of Apple AirTags at knifepoint.
On May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly attempted to steal from one truck at a Fontana, Calif., rest stop using a crowbar to breach the vehicle.
Shortly after, the same defendants allegedly stole more than $14,000 worth of Samsung electronics from another shipment in Fontana.
The indictment says some of the defendants would act as lookouts, while the others would break into trucks and steal the merchandise, sometimes by force or by threatening violence against the drivers.
If convicted, five of the suspects could face up to 20 years in federal prison. All of the defendants could face up to five years in prison for the theft conspiracy charge and 10 years in prison for each theft charge, the release states.
— With files from The Associated Press
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