Latest news with #JazaelPadillaResto
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
$100M in gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds stolen in largest U.S. jewelry heist
Seven Southern California men were charged in connection with what federal prosecutors described Tuesday as the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history. The defendants, all of whom are from the Los Angeles area, are accused of stealing roughly $100 million in gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches from an armored car in July 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for California's Central District. They were indicted last Wednesday on two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment, the prosecutor's office said in a news release. The defendants were identified as: 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 Five of the men were also charged with two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and interference with commerce by robbery, the prosecutor's office said. Two of the men were expected to appear in federal court Tuesday. Padilla is incarcerated in Arizona, where, the prosecutor's office said, he is in prison on a burglary charge. It isn't clear whether they have lawyers to speak on their behalf. A copy of the indictment alleges that Padilla scouted an international jewelry show in San Mateo, just south of San Francisco, on July 8, 2022. Two days later, he and several others followed a Brinks semitruck with 73 bags containing millions of dollars in jewelry from San Mateo to rest stops in Buttonwillow, in the state's Central Valley, and Lebec, north of Los Angeles, the indictment alleges. On July 11, the seven men stole two-dozen bags from the truck, the indictment claims. The indictment doesn't say how they are believed to have gained access to the truck. Brinks didn't immediately respond to a request for comment; neither did a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office. After the alleged theft, the group traveled to East Hollywood with the stolen goods, authorities said. Most of the defendants deactivated the phones they'd been using to communicate about the heist in the days that followed, according to the indictment. The indictment says the victims tallied the value of the stolen goods at $100 million. The news release says some of that jewelry was recovered when authorities executed search warrants Monday. The value of those items isn't clear. Nor is it clear what happened to the rest of the jewelry. Several of the defendants were also accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of Samsung electronics from interstate cargo shipments and nearly $60,000 in Apple AirTags. Those thefts are alleged to have occurred in 2022, before the jewelry heist, according to the prosecutor's office. This article was originally published on
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Feds nab 7 thieves accused of stealing $100M worth of gold, diamonds, rubies and other bling in biggest jewel heist in US history
Federal prosecutors say they've finally arrested the real-life 'Ocean's Eleven' — or, more accurately, the 'Pacific Ocean's Seven' responsible for the largest jewel heist in US history. Officials charged seven men with the theft of $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, high-end watches, and other treasure from a Brink's armored truck driving through California in July 2022. The indictment came three years after the Hollywood-style robbery, which the Department of Justice said was the biggest jewelry grab in the country's history. The precious cargo had been loaded onto a Brink's truck the night before, following a gem and jewelry show south of San Francisco, and was being driven 300 miles away to another showcase northeast of Los Angeles. 3 Bodycam footage of a truck bed containing bags of jewelry after a heist. LASD 3 A Brinks armored truck, the same brand as the one robbed in 2022. Gado via Getty Images 3 One-of-a-kind pieces (like the pieces pictured) were among the thieves' bounty. agcreativelab – The crooks ambushed the truck at a rest stop and made off with 73 bags stuffed with rare, one-of-a-kind pieces, including diamonds, emeralds and rubies, according to officials and reports. FBI agents recovered some of the stolen loot while executing a search warrant on Monday, the DoJ said in a statement. The alleged band of thieves is from the Los Angeles area and faces up to 20 years in prison. One of the suspects, Jazael Padilla Resto, is already doing time in an Arizona state prison for a separate charge of breaking and entering, the Department added. Several others are accused of additional truck heists, including intercepting shipments of Samsung electronics and a truck full of Apple AirTags, officials said. All seven defendants face various conspiracy and theft charges, and five face charges of interference with commerce by robbery. They could be sentenced to decades in federal prison if convicted. The defendants are: Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena Jazael Padilla Resto — a.k.a. 'Ricardo Noel Moya,' 'Ricardo Barbosa,' and 'Alberto Javier Loza Chamorro' — 36, of Boyle Heights Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, a.k.a. 'Walter Loza,' 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
