Seven Southern California men have been charged in connection with the theft of $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches from a Brinks semi-truck in 2022. The heist, considered the largest jewelry heist in US history, occurred when the suspects tracked the truck as it left a jewelry show near San Francisco with 73 bags of jewelry.
According to the indictment, the suspects followed the truck for approximately 300 miles from San Mateo to Lebec, California, where they stole 24 bags containing the valuable items. The robbery was discovered when the driver returned to the vehicle and saw that the exterior padlock was missing, which authorities believe was sawed off.
The Department of Justice announced the charges on Tuesday, alleging that one of the suspects scouted the jewelry show near San Francisco for several days before the heist. The suspects allegedly stole the jewelry without using any weapons.
Some of the stolen jewelry was recovered during the execution of search warrants on June 16. Jerry Kroll, an attorney representing some of the jewelers whose merchandise was stolen, expressed gratitude for any potential recovery, noting that “most of my clients are senior citizens… This is really serious.”
The seven defendants charged in the heist are:
- Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena
- Jazael Padilla Resto, 36, of Boyle Heights, currently an inmate in Arizona state prison
- Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, 41, of Rialto
- Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano, 60, of the Rampart Village neighborhood of Los Angeles
- Jorge Enrique Alban, 33, of South Los Angeles
- Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, of Upland
- Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36, of the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles
If convicted, the defendants face statutory maximum sentences ranging from 5 to 20 years in federal prison for each charge. The FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and other agencies are investigating the case.