7 Men Charged with Stealing $100 Million Worth of Gold and Diamonds in ‘Largest Jewelry Heist in U.S. History'

Seven men have been charged after being accused of being involved in what is described as the “largest jewelry heist in U.S. history.”

On Tuesday, June 17, the United States Attorney’s Office Central District of California confirmed in a press release that the men are accused of stealing around “$100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches” from a Brinks semitruck in July 2022.

The defendants have been identified as Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena; Jazael Padilla Resto, 36, of Boyle Heights; Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, 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; and Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36, of the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles.

They are being charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment.

Authorities stated that two of the men were expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Padilla Resto, who is currently in an Arizona state prison for third-degree burglary with unlawful entry, is also set to stand before federal court in the weeks to come.

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“According to the indictment, on the evening of July 10, 2022, Mestanza, Lugo, and Alban scouted a Brinks semitruck leaving an international jewelry show in San Mateo, California with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewelry,” the release read.

Officials added, “From the evening of July 10 to the morning of July 11, Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia, Presilla, Macias, and other co-conspirators followed the Brinks truck approximately 300 miles from that jewelry show in San Mateo to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles.”

Authorities allege the men took “24 bags from the Brinks truck” when the truck stopped in Lebec, with the bags containing approximately $100 million of jewelry.

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“Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, and Valencia are also alleged to have stolen $240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario on March 2, 2022,” the release continued. “Those same defendants, and Alban, allegedly then robbed a box truck driver of $57,377 worth of Apple AirTags. One of the robbers brandished a knife and threatened the driver.”

The defendants also allegedly stole around $14,081 worth of Samsung electronics from an “interstate shipment in Fontana” in May 2022 after attempting to steal from another truck in the city.

Mestanza, Padilla, Lugo, Valencia and Alban could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge if found guilty.

“All defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge and 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge,” authorities added of if the individuals are convicted.