Seven Southern California residents earlier this week were charged with breaking into a Brinks semi truck and stealing about $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches in July 2022.
The theft is considered to be the largest in U.S. history, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The jewels were in transit from an international jewelry show near San Francisco in July 2022. Some of the jewelry was recovered during the execution of search warrants on June 16.
The indictment, returned June 11, charges the seven defendants with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from an interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. Those charged included:
- 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 and currently an inmate in Arizona state prison
- 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
Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, and Alban also are charged with two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), as well as additional counts of theft from interstate and foreign shipment.
Padilla is currently in Arizona state prison serving a prison sentence for third-degree burglary with unlawful entry. He is expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks.
According to the indictment, on the evening of July 10, 2022, Mestanza, Lugo, and Alban scouted the Brinks semi truck leaving an international jewelry show in San Mateo, California. From the evening of July 10 to the morning of July 11, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, Presilla, Macias, and other co-conspirators followed the Brinks truck about 300 miles from San Mateo to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles.
While the truck was stopped in Lebec, the defendants stole 24 bags from the Brinks truck containing the jewelry.
Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, and Valencia are also alleged to have stolen $240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario on March 2, 2022. Those same defendants, and Alban, allegedly then robbed a box truck driver of $57,377 worth of Apple AirTags. One of the robbers brandished a knife and threatened the driver.
Then, on May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly attempted to steal from a truck at a Fontana rest stop using a crowbar to break in. Shortly after, they successfully stole about $14,081 worth of Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in Fontana.
If convicted, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, and Alban would face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge, and all defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge and 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge.
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