Crew Of Alleged Jewel Thieves Facing Charges Over Record $100 Million Armored Truck Heist

A group of thieves broke into a Brinks semi-truck stopped at a California rest stop in July 2022 and got away with $100 million in jewelry without any witnesses. It was a massive robbery destined to be adapted for the silver screen, like the Lufthansa heist in “Goodfellas.” However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday that it is charging seven men for allegedly committing the largest jewel heist in American history. Investigators identified the caper’s purported culprits through cellphone data and surveillance footage.

The crew of seven spotted the semi-truck while it was being loaded at the International Gem & Jewelry Show in San Mateo, California, according to federal prosecutors. The thieves decided to be patient and strike at a moment of weakness during the truck’s lengthy drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles. They tailed the Brinks semi-truck for 300 miles until it stopped at the Flying J gas station off Interstate 5 in Lebec, an unincorporated community with a population of just under 1,300 people. When the driver and guard left the truck, the crew struck under the cover of night. Some members distracted the Brinks employees inside the Flying J while the others broke into the truck and stole 24 bags loaded with diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and Rolex watches. The heist could have been far more lucrative, considering that 73 were loaded onto the truck.

The crew knew how massive their haul was because they immediately deactivated their cellphone numbers to cover their tracks, USA Today reports. The alleged culprits did everything we’ve been taught to do in the movies. They vanished off the grid and stayed away from lavish purchases to avoid attracting attention. However, it was a final heist in a series under investigation. Prosecutors claim that the same crew pulled several robberies in a similar manner over the weeks and months before the record haul. In March 2022, $240,000 in Samsung electronics were taken from a semi-truck in Ontario. Nine days later, $57,000 Apple AirTags were stolen from a box truck headed for Fontana. During the later heist, the driver returned early and was threatened by one of the thieves, who was wielding a knife. 

All seven men are facing charges of two counts of conspiracy to commit theft and theft from an interstate and foreign shipment. One of the accused is already serving a prison sentence for third-degree burglary with unlawful entry. Jena MacCabe, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, would specify precisely how the crew was caught but said:

“It really was the diligence of the investigators talking with the victims, reviewing all the surveillance footage, looking at the cars that were involved, looking at cell phone records, and trying to figure out who these people were. And it was the combination of all of that helped us be able to identify these seven that we charged.”

Investigators have so far tracked down and recovered less than half the jewelry stolen. They will likely have better odds than their Canadian counterparts searching for $15 million in gold and foreign currency stolen from Air Canada in 2023. Last year, two airline employees were charged with allegedly being involved in the massive heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Despite 880 pounds of gold snatched in plain sight, only two pounds of gold have been recovered. It was believed that the rest of the gold had been melted down and reconstituted. Some goods can be fenced more easily than others.