In a development unfolding from Southern California, seven men have been charged for their alleged roles in what federal authorities describe as the “largest jewelry heist in U.S history”. According to reliable sources, the suspects stand accused of stealing nearly $100 million worth of gold and jewelry from a Brinks truck in Lebec in 2022.
Reports from the U.S. Attorney’s Office indicate that two of the accused appeared in court on Tuesday, facing two charges each of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment, and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. All seven defendants share the same charges for the audacious heist, prosecutors confirm.
The indictment, returned in a downtown Los Angeles court last week, details how the group allegedly targeted a Brinks truck as it departed an international jewelry show in San Mateo, California. The vehicle was loaded with 73 bags filled with millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry. The defendants are reported to have trailed the truck over some 300 miles to a rest stop in Lebec, approximately 80 miles north of Los Angeles.
“While the truck was stopped in Lebec, those defendants stole 24 bags from the Brinks truck containing approximately $100 million of jewelry,” reports the Department of Justice’s news release. After the heist, each suspect deactivated their cellphones they used during the operation, according to the prosecutors.
Among the accused are Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, 41, of Rialto, and Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, of Upland, who were arrested Monday and appeared in court on Tuesday. Also charged are Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena; Jorge Enrique Alban, 33, of South Los Angeles; Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36, of Westlake; Jazael Padilla Resto, 36, of Boyle Heights; and Victor Hugo Valencia Solarzano, 60, of Rampart Village. Padilla is currently serving a prison sentence in Arizona for third-degree burglary with unlawful entry and is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks, prosecutors noted.
Furthermore, prosecutors allege that Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, and Alban were involved in additional incidents of robbery and theft, including the theft of over $240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario in March of 2022. During another alleged robbery of more than $57,000 worth of Apple AirTags, one suspect reportedly threatened the driver with a knife.
If convicted as charged, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, and Alban could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge. All defendants face up to five years for the theft conspiracy charge and 10 years for each theft charge, according to the prosecution.
The Department of Justice has announced that some of the stolen jewelry was recovered during the arrests. This raises important questions about the full recovery of the stolen property, and the evidence suggests that this case is far from closed.
