7 men indicted in $100M jewelry heist from Bay Area to SoCal, largest in US history
By Lauren Martinez
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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Seven California men are being charged in what the Department of Justice calls “the largest jewelry heist in history,” estimated at $100 million.
Authorities say in 2022, the suspects broke into a Brinks semi-truck while it was parked at a Grapevine truck stop. High-end gems and luxury watches were being transported from a jewelry show in San Mateo to Pasadena. According to the indictment, the suspects had scouted the jewelry show and followed the Brinks truck 300 miles south.
“I didn’t pick up on being followed but I felt at the jewelry show, there was someone kind of looking at me weird – like dogging me, staring me right in the eye, just sitting – their doors were open as we were getting loaded. It just felt weird,” a Brinks employee said.
Arnold Duke, president of the International Gem and Jewelry Show, was elated to hear that three years later suspects have been charged.
“It’s the best news I could’ve ever dreamed of. This thing has really hit us and our whole family really hard we are so thankful and delighted,” Duke said.
We spoke with former prosecutor and legal analyst Steven Clark.
“This is a jewelry heist right out of the Ocean’s Eleven playbook. And what you have here is a very sophisticated group,” Clark said.
Fourteen exhibitors from the show in San Mateo lost merchandise.
“Well, it was way over a $100 million – I don’t have exact figures and now with historic gold prices this is all up another 30% value since the time it was stolen. We’re just anxiously awaiting what might’ve been recovered,” Duke said.
But exactly how much was stolen continues to be up for debate.
Some of the jewelers who lost inventory are suing Brinks and Brinks is suing back.
Brinks’ suit says the jewelers signed contracts saying the merchandise was worth only $6.45 million.
“Brinks will argue that the contractual value of these goods is what they’re going to pay not what the value these jewelers are saying now,” Clark said.
Several of the suspects are also accused of stealing over $200,000 worth of Samsung electronics and $57,000 worth of Apple AirTags in the months before the jewelry heist.
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