7 men charged in what was called ‘the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history’

Federal prosecutors charged seven men from Southern California with what was called the “largest jewelry heist in U.S history.

The men allegedly robbed a Brinks truck of almost $100 million in gold and jewelry in Lebec, California, in 2022, KCBS reported.

Two of the seven men were in court on June 17, charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

All of the men face the same charges, prosecutors said.

Five of them are also charged with two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act).

The grand jury last week said the group “scouted a Brinks semitruck leaving an international jewelry show in San Mateo, California” on July 10, 2022, following it for more than 300 miles to a rest stop in Lebec the next day. The truck contained 73 bags of jewelry worth “millions of dollars.”

“While the truck was stopped in Lebec, those defendants stole 24 bags from the Brinks truck containing approximately $100 million of jewelry,” the Department of Justice said in a news release.

The bags contained gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches, NBC News reported. Some of it was recovered when officials executed search warrants this week.

Some of the companies that owned the stolen jewelry had “grave financial losses” because of the theft, The Los Angeles Times reported. Other owners left the business altogether.

Four of the men were also accused of taking $240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment, $14,081 worth of Samsung electronics from a second shipment and $57,377 worth of Apple Air Tags from another truck, the DOJ alleged.

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