SoCal Men Charged In Largest Jewelry Heist in U.S. History

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two Southern California residents are expected to appear in court Tuesday on federal charges alleging they broke into a Brinks truck and stole nearly $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches in what officials consider the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history.

The indictment, returned in Los Angeles federal court last week, charges seven defendants with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Due for their initial court appearances Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles are Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, 41, of Rialto, and Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, of Upland.

Also charged were:

-- Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena;

-- Jazael Padilla Resto, 36, of Boyle Heights and currently an inmate in Arizona state prison;

-- Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano, 60, of the Rampart Village neighborhood of Los Angeles;

-- Jorge Enrique Alban, 33, of South Los Angeles; and

-- 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, 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 a Brinks semi-trailer truck leaving an international jewelry show in San Mateo with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewelry. From that evening to the next morning, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, Presilla, Macias and various associates followed the Brinks truck nearly 300 miles from the jewelry show to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles, prosecutors allege.

While the truck was stopped in Lebec, defendants stole two-dozen bags containing nearly $100 million of jewelry. In the following days, Mestanza, Presilla, Alban, Lugo and Valencia all deactivated their phone numbers that they had been using during the heist, court papers show.

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, prosecutors allege.

Then, on May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly attempted to steal from one truck at a Fontana rest stop using a crowbar to break in. Shortly after, prosecutors contend, the same defendants successfully stole nearly $14,081 worth of Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in Fontana.

If convicted, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia and Alban would face up to 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge, and all defendants would face up to five years behind bars for the theft conspiracy charge and 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

City News Service