Latest news with #U.S.Attorney'sOffice
Ottawa Citizen
3 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Seven men charged over largest jewellery heist in U.S. history
Article content Police in California have made several arrests and laid charges in what they are calling the largest jewellery heist in U.S. history. The 2022 crime is said to have resulted in the theft of more than US$100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches. Article content According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, on the evening of July 10, 2022, two men scouted a Brinks truck leaving an international jewellery show in San Mateo, Calif., with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewellery. Overnight, six men and other conspirators followed the truck approximately 480 kilometres from the show to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles. Article content Article content Article content At the second stop, defendants stole 24 bags from the truck containing about US$100 million in jewellery. In the following days, they all deactivated their cellphone numbers that they had been using during the heist. Article content Article content Several of the men are also alleged to have stolen US$240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario, Calif., four months earlier. Those same defendants then allegedly robbed a box truck driver of US$57,377 worth of Apple AirTags, with one of the robbers brandishing a knife to threaten the driver. Article content Next, on May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly attempted to steal from one truck at a Fontana, Calif., rest stop using a crowbar to break in. Shortly after, they successfully stole approximately US$14,000 worth of Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in the same city. Article content Article content The accusations in the 14-page indictment have not yet been proven in court. The trial is set to start on Aug. 1. If convicted, five of the men would face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge, and all would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge, plus 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge. Article content Article content The FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Fontana Police Department, and the Ontario Police Department are continuing their investigation. Article content Facing charges are seven men from California: Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena, Calif; Jazael Padilla Resto, a.k.a. '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, a.k.a. 'Walter Loza,' 41, of Rialto; Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano, 60, of Los Angeles; Jorge Enrique Alban, 33, of Los Angeles; Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, of Upland; and Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36, of Los Angeles. Article content
Vancouver Sun
3 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Seven men charged over largest jewellery heist in U.S. history
Police in California have made several arrests and laid charges in what they are calling the largest jewellery heist in U.S. history. The 2022 crime is said to have resulted in the theft of more than US$100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, on the evening of July 10, 2022, two men scouted a Brinks truck leaving an international jewellery show in San Mateo, Calif., with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewellery. Overnight, six men and other conspirators followed the truck approximately 480 kilometres from the show to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles. At the second stop, defendants stole 24 bags from the truck containing about US$100 million in jewellery. In the following days, they all deactivated their cellphone numbers that they had been using during the heist. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Several of the men are also alleged to have stolen US$240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario, Calif., four months earlier. Those same defendants then allegedly robbed a box truck driver of US$57,377 worth of Apple AirTags, with one of the robbers brandishing a knife to threaten the driver. Next, on May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly attempted to steal from one truck at a Fontana, Calif., rest stop using a crowbar to break in. Shortly after, they successfully stole approximately US$14,000 worth of Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in the same city. The accusations in the 14-page indictment have not yet been proven in court. The trial is set to start on Aug. 1. If convicted, five of the men would face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge, and all would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge, plus 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge. The FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Fontana Police Department, and the Ontario Police Department are continuing their investigation. Facing charges are seven men from California: Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena, Calif; Jazael Padilla Resto, a.k.a. '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, a.k.a. 'Walter Loza,' 41, of Rialto; Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano, 60, of Los Angeles; Jorge Enrique Alban, 33, of Los Angeles; Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, of Upland; and Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36, of Los Angeles. Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting the case. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Seven men charged over largest jewellery heist in U.S. history
Article content Police in California have made several arrests and laid charges in what they are calling the largest jewellery heist in U.S. history. The 2022 crime is said to have resulted in the theft of more than US$100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches. Article content According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, on the evening of July 10, 2022, two men scouted a Brinks truck leaving an international jewellery show in San Mateo, Calif., with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewellery. Overnight, six men and other conspirators followed the truck approximately 480 kilometres from the show to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles. Article content Article content Article content At the second stop, defendants stole 24 bags from the truck containing about US$100 million in jewellery. In the following days, they all deactivated their cellphone numbers that they had been using during the heist. Article content Article content Several of the men are also alleged to have stolen US$240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario, Calif., four months earlier. Those same defendants then allegedly robbed a box truck driver of US$57,377 worth of Apple AirTags, with one of the robbers brandishing a knife to threaten the driver. Article content Next, on May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly attempted to steal from one truck at a Fontana, Calif., rest stop using a crowbar to break in. Shortly after, they successfully stole approximately US$14,000 worth of Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in the same city. Article content Article content The accusations in the 14-page indictment have not yet been proven in court. The trial is set to start on Aug. 1. If convicted, five of the men would face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge, and all would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge, plus 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge. Article content Article content The FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Fontana Police Department, and the Ontario Police Department are continuing their investigation. Article content Facing charges are seven men from California: Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena, Calif; Jazael Padilla Resto, a.k.a. '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, a.k.a. 'Walter Loza,' 41, of Rialto; Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano, 60, of Los Angeles; Jorge Enrique Alban, 33, of Los Angeles; Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, of Upland; and Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36, of Los Angeles. Article content
Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Seven men charged over largest jewellery heist in U.S. history
Article content Police in California have made several arrests and laid charges in what they are calling the largest jewellery heist in U.S. history. The 2022 crime is said to have resulted in the theft of more than US$100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, on the evening of July 10, 2022, two men scouted a Brinks truck leaving an international jewellery show in San Mateo, Calif., with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewellery. Overnight, six men and other conspirators followed the truck approximately 480 kilometres from the show to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Captain hits sailor with knockout blow and opens fire on Florida boat, feds say
A boat captain sentenced to seven years in federal prison had assaulted two deckhands during a multiday fishing trip, trying to kill one of them, prosecutors said. While captaining the boat off the coast of northwest Florida in April 2024, Terry S. Carrington, 38, of Carrabelle, hit one of the deckhands with a knockout blow, breaking his jaw in what prosecutors called an unprovoked attack. Carrington then got a rifle and opened fire on the second deckhand, missing him with shots that struck the boat cabin, court documents say. '(Carrington) tried to shoot him three or four times as they wrestled for control of the gun,' prosecutors wrote in court filings. One of the bullets hit the ceiling after prosecutors said Carrington had 'aimed the gun up toward (the deckhand's) head and pulled the trigger.' The struggle ended with the sailor getting ahold of the gun, followed by the other deckhand regaining consciousness, according to a June 18 news release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida. Both men overpowered Carrington and took over the boat, according to prosecutors, driving it for several hours to a dock in Apalachicola in Franklin County, along the Florida Panhandle. Then they called authorities. Carrington's criminal defense attorney, R. Timothy Jansen, did not immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment. Drug use related to assaults According to prosecutors, investigators learned drug use played a role in what happened on the boat. Carrington had taken an illegal stimulant while the men commercially fished for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed the Gulf of America by President Donald Trump, leading to the violence, prosecutors argued in their sentencing memo. 'What the evidence actually shows is that (Carrington) used methamphetamine, became delusional, and assaulted Victim 2 and tried to kill Victim 1' who 'had fished with (him) prior to' the April 22, 2024 'fishing trip,' the filing says. The National Institute on Drug Abuse warns methamphetamine can be addictive. The synthetic drug has a high potential for abuse. In a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat, Jansen said the 'unfortunate event was the result of drug use that caused Mr. Carrington to suffer an overdose which resulted in hallucinations and voices that led to the violence against the deckhands.' 'People need to realize that ingesting drugs can result in catastrophic results for the user and others,' Jansen told the newspaper. 'Mr. Carrington apologized to the victims in court for his uncontrollable actions that day and is open to treatment for his addiction.' A federal judge in Tallahassee handed Carrington his 7-year sentence on June 18, after he pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. According to prosecutors, the deckhand they referred to as Victim 1 who Carrington tried to shoot had seen Carrington 'snort what (he) believed was methamphetamine' on other fishing trips 'when he needed to stay up and work.' The sailor reported Carrington's drug use had 'gotten worse' over time, prosecutors said. After the boat reached shore following assaults, he gave him Carrington rifle, which he had 'disassembled' and hidden, according to prosecutors. Then the man, Carrington and the other deckhand tied the boat at the dock, court documents say. Shortly before leaving the area, the sailor Carrington is accused of knocking out tried to retrieve his personal items from the boat, according to the sentencing memo. '(Carrington) though, had put (his) belongings off the boat and even threatened to kill him if he attempted to get back onboard,' the filing says. The man left to call 911, then drove to a hospital for his broken jaw, according to prosecutors. The Florida FWC and the Coast Guard also worked with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office to investigate Carrington, prosecutors said. In a statement, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said the sentence holds Carrington 'responsible for his violent, unprovoked attack on two innocent individuals.'
