Bishop Ranch Jeweler Robbers Sentenced: Reports

SAN RAMON, CA — Four out of five men who pleaded guilty to robbing Heller Jewelers at Bishop Ranch in 2023 were sentenced, according to reports.

John Tupou and Sunia Faavesi were sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and three years of supervised release, according to reports in Danville-San Ramon and the Bay Area News Group.

Paul Tonga and Kyle Vehikite were sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

The fifth defendant, Ryan Montgomery, awaits sentencing out of custody as his defense team reviews evidence, according to court records reviewed by the Bay Area News Group.

The defendants must also pay victim restitution and fines, according to reports.

Tupou, Faavesi, Tonga, and Vehikite pleaded guilty to taking part in a smash and grab robbery at Heller Jewelers on March 17, 2023 at 2:45 p.m., in front of dozens of shoppers. Witness footage uploaded to social media shows robbers storming into the storm, pointing a gun at a security guard, holding a man against a wall, using hammers to smash a display case, and then running out to jump into an orange Dodge Charger and a white Jeep Cherokee.

They made off with about $1.1 million in merchandise, which included a Rolex with a GPS tracker, which helped authorities track them.

Five suspects, excluding Tupou, were arrested in August 2023 following a lengthy investigation. Tupou was arrested in Oakland in September 2023 during a raid of an illegal gambling shack, according to records obtained by the Bay Area News Group.

Vehikite, Faavesi, Tupou and Tonga pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to engage in robbery affecting interstate commerce and one count of robbery affecting interstate commerce, according to Danville-San Ramon.

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