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() Seven men from Southern California have been arrested and charged in what is being described as the “largest jewelry heist in U.S. history.”
The following men are accused of breaking into a Brinks semitruck holding $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, luxury watches and precious gemstones that were in transport from an international jewelry show near San Francisco:
- 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
The indictment charges the men with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. Padilla, Mestanza, Lugo, Valencia, and Alban are also 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 an interstate and foreign shipment.
According to the indictment, on July 10, 2022, Mestanza, Lugo and Alban spotted the truck leaving the jewelry show containing 73 bags of jewelry. From that evening until the morning of July 11, the men all followed the truck for 300 miles from the jewelry show in San Mateo to a rest stop in Lebec, a town north of Los Angeles.
When the truck stopped in Lebec, they broke into the truck and stole the 24 bags with $100 million worth of jewelry.
If convicted, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, and Alban face up to 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge, and all the men charged would face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge and 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge.
