Seven California men charged in 'largest jewellery heist' in US history
Seven men from California have been charged in the "largest jewellery heist in US history", involving the theft of $100m (£75m) worth of gold, gems, and luxury watches.The heist has been a mystery in California for nearly three years after a Brinks company truck transporting the jewellery was robbed at a remote stop as one driver slept inside, and another was having a meal.The suspects tracked the truck as it left a jewellery show near San Francisco with 73 bags, officials said. The next morning, they stole 24 bags when the truck was at a rest stop in Lebec, California, according to court documents.The indictment does not say how they gained access to the truck.
Announcing the charges on Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that one of the suspects scouted a jewellery show near San Francisco for several days in 2022 and then robbed the truck with his accomplices in the early hours of 11 July.A copy of the indictment says the defendants watched as a Brinks truck was loaded with jewels and then followed the truck for approximately 300 miles (485 km) from San Mateo to Lebec, California.While the truck was parked at a stop in Lebec, the suspects allegedly stole 24 bags containing about $100m in jewellery, the court document says.Officials said the robbers did not use any weapons during the heist. The robbery was discovered when the driver returned to the vehicle and saw that the exterior padlock was missing. Authorities believe it was sawed off. The truck was on its way to another jewellery show in Pasadena, California. Some of the jewels were recovered during the execution of search warrants on 16 June, according to a DOJ statement.Jerry Kroll, an attorney who represents some of the jewellers whose merchandise was stolen, told the BBC he did not know how much had been recovered."Most of my clients are senior citizens," he said. "Some of them are 85 years old. This is really serious. If there is something there for any of these clients, we'd be very grateful."It is not clear if the suspects have lawyers to speak on their behalf.
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BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Seven California men charged in 'largest jewellery heist' in US history
Seven men from California have been charged in the "largest jewellery heist in US history", involving the theft of $100m (£75m) worth of gold, gems, and luxury heist has been a mystery in California for nearly three years after a Brinks company truck transporting the jewellery was robbed at a remote stop as one driver slept inside, and another was having a suspects tracked the truck as it left a jewellery show near San Francisco with 73 bags, officials said. The next morning, they stole 24 bags when the truck was at a rest stop in Lebec, California, according to court indictment does not say how they gained access to the truck. Announcing the charges on Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that one of the suspects scouted a jewellery show near San Francisco for several days in 2022 and then robbed the truck with his accomplices in the early hours of 11 July.A copy of the indictment says the defendants watched as a Brinks truck was loaded with jewels and then followed the truck for approximately 300 miles (485 km) from San Mateo to Lebec, the truck was parked at a stop in Lebec, the suspects allegedly stole 24 bags containing about $100m in jewellery, the court document said the robbers did not use any weapons during the heist. The robbery was discovered when the driver returned to the vehicle and saw that the exterior padlock was missing. Authorities believe it was sawed off. The truck was on its way to another jewellery show in Pasadena, California. Some of the jewels were recovered during the execution of search warrants on 16 June, according to a DOJ Kroll, an attorney who represents some of the jewellers whose merchandise was stolen, told the BBC he did not know how much had been recovered."Most of my clients are senior citizens," he said. "Some of them are 85 years old. This is really serious. If there is something there for any of these clients, we'd be very grateful."It is not clear if the suspects have lawyers to speak on their behalf.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Tyler Perry sued by actor on 'The Oval' for sexual assault and harassment
An actor who worked on the Tyler Perry-created TV drama 'The Oval' has filed a lawsuit alleging Perry leveraged his industry power to repeatedly sexually assault and harass him while keeping him quiet. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by actor Derek Dixon, who appeared on 85 episodes of the BET series, seeks at least $260 million in damages. 'Mr. Perry took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation,' the lawsuit says. The lawsuit was filed Friday and first reported Tuesday by TMZ. Perry's attorney, Matthew Boyd, said its allegations are false. 'This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,' Boyd said in a statement Tuesday. 'But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.' The lawsuit says that Perry first noticed Dixon in 2019 when Dixon was part of the event staff at a Perry party, and later offered an audition. Dixon would first appear in a small role on the Perry series 'Ruthless" before getting the bigger role on the political drama ' The Oval.' Perry soon began sending unwanted sexual text messages to Dixon, according to the lawsuit, which includes screenshots of several of them. 'What's it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?' one of the messages says. The lawsuit says Perry offered Dixon an increasingly prominent role on the show as his sexual advances became more aggressive. The actor says he tried to remain friendly while maintaining boundaries. 'Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry's sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry's good side,' the lawsuit says. 'Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendoes, Dixon's character would 'die.'' The lawsuit says Perry eventually sexually assaulted Dixon on 'multiple occasions," including an instance where he "forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon's clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon." Dixon clearly told Perry 'No,' but was initially ignored until he was able to de-escalate the situation and change the subject, according to the lawsuit. The following day, Perry apologized, and told Dixon he would work with Dixon on a TV pilot Dixon was seeking to produce. Dixon later received a raise that the lawsuit suggests was part of an attempt to keep him quiet. He said the fear of his character dying kept him quiet as intended. Perry also produced and bought the rights to the pilot, called 'Losing It,' but the lawsuit alleges Perry had no intention of selling the show and was using it only for leverage over Dixon. The lawsuit describes several other assaults, including one where Dixon was staying in a guest room of Perry's house when Perry climbed into bed with him uninvited and began groping him, the lawsuit alleges. Dixon would eventually move from Atlanta, home to Perry's production studio, to Los Angeles to put distance between the two of them. Dixon in 2024 filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and when that didn't result in any action from the show's producers, he quit. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Dixon has. 'The Oval' is one of many television series executive produced by, written by and directed by the 55-year-old Perry, who first became known as creator and star of the 'Madea' films and has since built a major production empire in TV and movies. As an actor he has also appeared in the films 'Gone Girl' and 'Don't Look Up.'
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
High school track star disqualified over controversial celebration reveals she is considering legal action
Clara Adams, the high school athlete disqualified for celebrating her 400m victory by spraying her shoes with a fire extinguisher, is considering drastic action after she was stripped of her gold medal. Adams, 16, copied the celebration first made famous by the American former 100m world record holder Maurice Greene when she crossed the line in first place at the California state high school track and field championships, which were held on May 30 and 31. But the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) decided that the celebration was unsportsmanlike and stripped Adams of her championship. Now, Adams, who was left devastated by the incident, and her father, David, are contemplating taking legal action unless the CIF reinstates her title. 'CIF's rules and regulations are byzantine and outdated,' their attorney Adante Pointer told PEOPLE. 'Nevertheless, we were hopeful they would do the right thing without us having to bring this issue into a court of law as it is clear they did not follow their own rules and regulations which irreparably harmed a young budding track star by robbing her of the state title without proper justification or cause.' 'CIF did not follow their own rules which led to Clara being denied a crowning achievement as the state of California 400-meter champion,' he added. 'This may cost her scholarships, NIL deals and other opportunities now and into the future. Not to mention the emotional distress associated with the track meet officials physically grabbing and yelling at her. She can never relive that moment.' has reached out to the CIF for comment. Adams' father, who also acts as her coach, had handed her the fire extinguisher before racing onto the field when he saw there was an incident unfolding. He accepted that he broke rules by climbing over rails to get to his daughter, but insisted he felt outraged when he saw an official grab Clara by the arm. Adams was disqualified from the meet as a whole by officials for her celebrations - denying her the chance to race in a 200-meter event later. Adams, a sophomore from North Salinas High School, claimed the CIF officials 'overreacted by grabbing me and yelling in my face.' 'As a dad, I still do not understand why the CIF officials berated my daughter, stripped her of her title, banned her from competing in the next race and ignored me when I attempted to get an explanation of what was going on,' her dad David added to PEOPLE 'As a father I was angry about how they physically grabbed and yelled at her. I am still at a loss as to why they treated her and that way. She's a kid and they treated her like an adult and gave her the maximum punishment without any warning or explanation.' The celebration was reminiscent of Greene, a four-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion, who famously extinguished his own cleats after he won the 100-meter dash during the 2004 Home Depot Invitational. Adams claimed she and her dad didn't settle on the celebration until they arrived in Fresno for the meet and saw the old video of Greene. Adams, who said she was the 'underdog' heading into the event, and David insisted that they carried out the celebration away from her fellow competitors. Earlier this month, Greene himself weighed in on the controversy, claiming disqualification should be overturned if the celebration was performed away from her competitors. 'When I heard, cause it happened, and then people just started calling me 'This girl who just ran the 400 did your celebration' I was like huh? What?' the ex-athlete told KSBW-TV on Monday. 'If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her.'
