Sophisticated South American Crime Tourists Hit with Charges for Jewelry Heists
When Glendale Police arrived to a small mom-and-pop jewelry store that had just been cleaned out on a Tuesday afternoon in late May, there was no sign of forced entry, at first, until they looked up. The sophisticated thieves had burrowed through the roof of Bidrussian Jewelry located at 1102 ½ S. Glendale Avenue and made off with what police are calling an "unknown amount of jewelry" and fled into the night. During the robbery, the thieves used cell phone jammers so no one could call police, which also left people unable to call emergency services for other issues, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Thursday. Glendale Detectives assigned to the burglary division launched an investigation, worked sources and pressed known fences, and came up with likely suspects: a professional robbery crew from South America, part of a recent and growing surge of criminals from outside the U.S. who come to L.A. as "crime tourists" with plans to steal.
Last summer, a similar crew was locked up for a brazen stickup right out of a Hollywood action flick: the robbers pointed a gun at a tourist eating lunch with his family at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons and demanded his Rolex, one of many gunpoint watch heists the Venezuelans pulled off as tourists to L.A. There have been so many crimes that fit the pattern, that the streets were talking about a new crew that was planning to break into another small jewelry store in La Verne. Glendale Police puts it this way, detectives "developed leads identifying possible suspects. Working in coordination with local agencies, detectives initiated surveillance on the group." And when they showed up at their next target, Rodeo Jewelers, located at 1560 Foothill Boulevard in the City of La Verne, in the dead of night last Sunday, police were waiting, surveilling, ready to pounce. Once again, police say, "the suspects also used signal jammers and cut wires to the location," to prevent surveillance or 911 calls from anyone who saw them in action. Once they were in, they were nabbed, police and prosecutors say. 'To those involved in organized crime targeting businesses in Los Angeles County: No matter how carefully planned your crimes may be, you will be identified, apprehended, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' Hochman said. 'Not only do these reckless crimes threaten livelihoods and instill fear in communities, but attempts to avoid detection by disabling emergency services put millions of lives at risk. This will not be tolerated under my watch.'The men charged are: Jose Millafil; Luka Pazitiani; Javier Sepulveda; Matias Vera; Victor Iturriagalopez; Edson Gonzalez; and Cristian Gonzalezaburto. They are all charged with multiple felonies for burglarizing two jewelry stores and causing extensive infrastructure damage.
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
HelloFresh to pay $7.5M in California subscription case—how to claim settlement
Meal kit delivery company HelloFresh has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle allegations of what prosecutors called "deceptive subscription practices" in California. The settlement was announced Monday by district attorneys in both Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties, which jointly filed the lawsuit that led to the settlement. The plaintiff argues that HelloFresh's policies violated the state's Automatic Renewal Law by "deceptively enrolling consumers into auto-renewing subscription plans without proper disclosure or consent," according to a statement from Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman's office. "No company, no matter how big or well-known, is exempt from California's consumer protection laws," Hochman said. "We will aggressively pursue enforcement when businesses take advantage of consumers by failing to clearly disclose subscription terms, obtain proper consent, or provide a fair way to cancel. Consumers have a right to know what they're signing up for, and they deserve better. Digital deception is still deception under the law." HelloFresh admitted no liability in the settlement. What were the allegations leveled against HelloFresh in California? Prosecutors alleged HelloFresh placed customers into ongoing subscriptions without proper notice or authorization. The Santa Clara District Attorney's Office also accused the company of making it difficult for customers to cancel subscriptions. "The meal kit delivery company, the largest in the U.S., also failed to disclose the material terms and conditions of advertised free meals, surprise gifts, and free shipping offers, among other false and misleading advertising allegations," Santa Clara D.A.'s officials said in a written statement. "These actions are violations of California's Automatic Renewal Law and False Advertising Law." The civil complaint alleged that HelloFresh failed to clearly disclose subscription terms prior to collecting payment; was unable to obtain customers' affirmative consent before charging their credit or debit cards; failed to provide post-transaction acknowledgments of subscriptions; and failed to offer an easy mechanism to cancel subscriptions. 'Misleading automatic renewal subscriptions and false advertising practices don't sell products – they sell deception,' according to Santa Clara County D.A. Jeff Rosen. 'Stop means stop.' HelloFresh denies wrongdoing HelloFresh representatives told CBS News that the company's policies were fair. "We take our commitment to customer transparency very seriously, and our subscription model and cancellation policies have been consistently clear to customers throughout the whole customer journey," according to a statement from the company. "While we deny any wrongdoing, we have cooperated fully with the coalition of California District Attorneys and have entered into a settlement agreement with them to resolve the matter amicably." Where will the settlement money go? Of the $7.5 million settlement, $6.38 million will be divided between the prosecuting agencies in the form of civil penalties, according to the L.A. County D.A.'s Office. $1 million of the settlement will be paid as restitution to eligible California consumers, officials added. $120,000 will be used to cover investigative costs. HelloFresh makes up roughly 75% of the meal kit delivery market in the U.S., officials said. The case was investigated by the California Automatic Renewal Task Force, or CART, Hochman said. The program was started in 2015 to address consumer complaints about improper subscription practices and comprises prosecutors from Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Diego counties, as well as the city of Santa Monica. Who is eligible for restitution from Hello Fresh? According to the settlement, eligible consumers are those who: Were enrolled in automatic renewal product subscriptions between Jan. 1, 2019, and Aug. 18, 2025. Were charged for the first shipment without their knowledge or consent. Canceled their automatic renewal subscription after the first shipment. Never received a refund from HelloFresh. These individuals will receive notices from the third-party administrator detailing how to submit a claim. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: HelloFresh to pay $7.5M in California subscription settlement Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
18 hours ago
- New York Post
Seattle police chief was reportedly having lunch as $2M jewelry store robbery happened just yards away
Advertisement The chief of the Seattle Police Department was reportedly just yards away from a jewelry store when it was ransacked in broad daylight on Thursday, with the robbers getting away with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, gold and luxury watches. That day, four masked robbers executed the robbery at Menashe & Sons Jewelers in West Seattle, threatening staffers with bear spray and a stun gun after smashing the locked glass front door with a hammer and stealing everything from six display cases in the store. But as the jewelry heist was taking place, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes was eating lunch just yards away, a police source told The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM. A spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department confirmed to The Jason Rantz Show that the chief was nearby, but couldn't say specifically where he was at the time of the robbery. Advertisement 'Chief Barnes and his security detail were at a nearby business when the robbery occurred,' the spokesperson said. 'They were inside the business and were unaware of the crime unfolding. 3 Chief of Seattle Police Shon Barnes was reportedly having lunch at a restaurant just yards away when the jewel heist went down. NIJ 'The suspects were in and out of the jewelry store in exactly 90 seconds,' the spokesperson added. 'His security detail was in plain clothes at the time of the robbery.' The department spokesperson also told the radio show the chief and his detail became aware of the robbery after police vehicles with lights and sirens responded to the scene. Advertisement Thieves smashed open a case with an emerald necklace worth $125,000 and a case containing around $750,000 worth of Rolex watches, police said. 3 Smash-and-grab thieves in Seattle made off with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold and other items in a daring midday jewelry store robbery that took just about 90 seconds, police said Friday. Menashe & Sons Jewelers 'We're pretty shook up as a staff,' Josh Menashe, vice president of the family-owned store, said on Friday. 'We're gonna be closed for a while.' Matthew Strommen, the manager of nearby Industrious Gym told FOX 13 in Seattle the employees of the jewelry store escaped out the back and went to the gym for help. Advertisement He added that there was 'a lot of shock and surprise' because of the robbery, leading to the gym locking the doors until police arrived. 3 Four masked robbers executed the robbery at Menashe & Sons Jewelers in West Seattle, threatening staffers with bear spray and a stun gun after smashing the locked glass front door with a hammer and stealing everything from six display cases in the store. Menashe & Sons Jewelers The suspects escaped in a getaway car before police arrived at noon. No arrests have been made yet. No one was hurt during the robbery. Seattle police are asking anyone with information to call 206-233-5000.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Gone in 90 seconds: Jewelry store loses $2m of diamonds, watches and gold in smash-and-grab attack
A band of thieves stole $2 million in jewelry from a Seattle store in a smash-and-grab robbery that took just 90 seconds, police say. The heist carried out in broad daylight. At around noon Thursday, four masked suspects used hammers to break the locked front glass door of Menashe & Sons Jewelers in West Seattle, the Seattle Police Department said. Inside the store, the group smashed six glass display cases and took $2 million worth of jewelry, diamonds, and luxury watches, according to police. One of the display cases held between $700,000 and $800,000 in Rolex watches. Another housed an emerald necklace — valued at $125,000 — and a platinum diamond, authorities said. Two other display cases contained 'a large amount of gold jewelry,' police said. During their minute-and-a-half inside the store, one suspect pointed bear spray and a taser at jewelry store employees as the three others carried out the robbery, police said. Neither the victims or witnesses reported any injuries. 'We're pretty shook up as a staff,' Josh Menashe, vice president of the store, told the Associated Press. 'We're gonna be closed for a while.' The store will be closed until August 19 to repair the damage. 'We are deeply thankful for the outpouring of support from the West Seattle community and from all those who have reached out with kind words and encouragement,' the store's statement read. 'We look forward to welcoming you back soon — stronger than ever.' Security footage, obtained by AP, captured the four suspects, all sporting hoodies, breaking into the store, shattering the display cases with hammers, and then stuffing the valuables into black bags. An employee in a gray suit approaches the suspects at one point before throwing his hands in the air after one of the suspects points an object at him. After the brisk burglary, the group fled in a 'getaway car' before officers arrived at the scene, authorities said. Officers searched the area, but didn't find the suspects. They remain at large and the investigation is ongoing. Police urge anyone with information to call the Seattle Police Department's Violent Crimes Tip Line.
