SoCal men charged in largest jewelry heist in US history: $100M stolen from Brink’s truck

7 charged with largest jewelry heist in US history

Seven Southern California men have been charged in connection with the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history. The group made off with more than $100 million of jewelry from a semi truck in 2022.

LOS ANGELES - Two Southern California residents charged in connection with what's considered the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history appeared in court on a federal indictment Tuesday.

What we know:

According to the indictment, seven defendants are charged in connection with the theft of approximately $100 million worth of jewelry from a Brinks semitruck in July 2022.

The stolen items included gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches, which were being transported from an international jewelry show near San Francisco. It was going to an event at the Pasadena Convention Center.

SUGGESTED: Jewelry worth millions stolen from Brink's truck near Los Angeles

Some of the stolen jewelry was recovered on June 16 during the execution of search warrants.

The seven defendants charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment are:

• Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena
• Jazael Padilla Resto, also known as "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, also known as "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 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 interstate and foreign shipment.

Timeline:

The indictment details the alleged sequence of events leading to the massive jewelry heist and other related thefts:

• March 2, 2022: Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, and Valencia are alleged to have stolen $240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario.
• 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, the same defendants successfully stole approximately $14,081 worth of Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in Fontana.
• Evening of July 10, 2022: Mestanza, Lugo, and Alban allegedly scouted a Brinks semitruck leaving an international jewelry show in San Mateo, California, carrying 73 bags of jewelry worth millions of dollars.
• Evening of July 10 to morning of July 11, 2022: Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, Presilla, Macias, and other co-conspirators allegedly followed the Brinks truck approximately 300 miles from San Mateo to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles.
• While stopped in Lebec: The defendants allegedly stole 24 bags from the Brinks truck, containing approximately $100 million of jewelry.
• Days following the heist: Mestanza, Presilla, Alban, Lugo, and Valencia all deactivated their cellphone numbers that they had been using during the heist.
• June 11, 2024: The federal indictment against the seven defendants was returned.
• June 16, 2024: Some of the stolen jewelry was recovered during the execution of search warrants.
• Today (June 17, 2024): Two Southern California residents are expected to appear in federal court.
• Coming weeks: Padilla, currently in Arizona state prison, is expected to appear in federal court.

The backstory:

Before the historic Brinks heist, several of the same defendants were allegedly involved in other cargo thefts and attempted robberies. 

On March 2, 2022, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, and Valencia are accused of stealing over $240,000 worth of Samsung electronics from a shipment in Ontario.

Following this, the same individuals, along with Alban, allegedly robbed a box truck driver, taking over $57,000 worth of Apple AirTags, with one robber brandishing a knife and threatening the driver. 

Their alleged criminal activities continued on May 25, 2022, when they attempted to break into one truck at a Fontana rest stop and then successfully stole over $14,000 in Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in the same area. 

These earlier incidents highlight a pattern of alleged organized cargo theft leading up to the much larger jewelry heist.

What's next:

Jazael Padilla Resto, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Arizona, is expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks. 

If convicted, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, and Alban could face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge. 

All defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge and 10 years for each theft charge.

The investigation into this matter is ongoing, led by the FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Fontana Police Department, and the Ontario Police Department.