Two men were expected to appear in court Tuesday after they were charged in a federal indictment with a $100 million Brinks truck heist at a freeway rest stop north of Los Angeles.
Gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches that were being transported from a jewelry show near San Francisco were stolen in the July 2022 crime, which the DOJ called the largest jewelry theft in U.S. history.
The suspects tracked the Brinks semi-trailer truck as it left the show on the night of July 10, 2022, with 73 bags of jewelry, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The next morning, the thieves stole 24 bags when the truck was at a 5 Freeway rest stop in Lebec, according to authorities.
Some of the jewelry was recovered during the execution of search warrants on June 16, the DOJ said. Details about what led to the arrests were not immediately available, but federal prosecutors said some of the men are connected to similar cargo shipment crimes.
Some of the suspects are accused of stealing $240,500 worth of Samsung electronics in March 2022 in Ontario. The same defendants, one armed with a knife, then robbed a box truck driver of $57,300 worth of Apple AirTags, according to the DOJ.
In May 2022, the suspects stole more than $14,000 worth of Samsung electronic from another shipment in Fontana.
A federal indictment returned June 11 charged seven defendants with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. Five suspects also were 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.
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Source: NBC Los Angeles
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