Suspect In High-Profile Burglary Tourism Ring Charged

LOS ANGELES, CA — One of two South American nationals allegedly linked to the armed robbery of a $1 million watch from a man sitting on the patio of a restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges.

Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 21, of Colombia, entered his plea in Los Angeles federal court to one count of interference with commerce by robbery -- known as a federal Hobbs Act crime -- and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

A tentative trial date of Oct. 22 was scheduled. Sepulveda Salazar was previously ordered detained pending trial.

A mystery lingers over how Sepulveda Salazar and his co-defendant came into possession of a gun registered to Christopher Dorner, the notorious former LAPD officer who killed four people before dying at the end of a standoff with police.

The pair, believed to be part of a "crime tourism" group, are accused in the Aug. 7 robbery of a man who was sitting with his wife and two daughters on the patio of a hotel restaurant. Prosecutors said one of the suspects approached and pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the victim and pulled back the slide of the handgun, chambering a round.

While the first suspect held the victim at gunpoint, the second suspect allegedly approached and removed a silver Patek Philippe watch, which is estimated to be worth $1 million, from the victim's wrist.

Both suspects then left the scene and eventually entered a blue Toyota Corolla, with Sepulveda Salazar allegedly serving as the getaway driver, according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.

Law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant at an Airbnb where the South Americans had allegedly been staying. During the search, officers found a handgun in a bedroom that was registered to Dorner. Later that day, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Equinox and reportedly identified Sepulveda Salazar and co-defendant Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, 19, of Venezuela, inside the vehicle.

The Equinox was allegedly linked to another armed robbery in the 400 block of Doheny Road in Beverly Hills on Aug. 5, during which a $30,000 Rolex was stolen, prosecutors said.

It remained unclear how the suspects came into possession of a weapon registered to Dorner, who went on a murderous rampage in 2013 that gripped the Southland. His killing spree claimed the lives of two police officers, along with the daughter of a former LAPD captain and her fiance.

The killings prompted a massive manhunt that ultimately led to Big Bear, where authorities engaged in an extended gun battle with Dorner, who was holed up in a cabin that eventually caught fire and burned to the ground. Dorner was found dead in the burned-out cabin.

It was unclear if the gun registered to Dorner was the one used in the Beverly Hills robbery, but authorities said no other weapons have been recovered.

Padron was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery.

If convicted on all counts, Sepulveda Salazar faces a sentence of up to life in federal prison, while Padron faces up to 20 years, prosecutors noted.

City News Service