When a ring of thieves heisted bags of jewelry from the back of a Brinks truck in July 2022, they had no idea what they were getting into.
Their $100 million haul was the largest jewelry theft in U.S. history.
Before the heist, the largest theft that the ring pulled off was for $241,000 worth of electronics.
But their jewelry heist was more than four hundred times larger – which meant a LOT more heat.
In June 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles indicted the seven alleged ring members on charges ranging from theft to conspiracy.
According to the indictment, the heist began when the Los Angeles-based ring scouted the International Gem & Jewelry show in San Mateo, California.
Founded in 1967, the International Gem & Jewelry show is the largest direct-to-consumer jewelry trade show in America.
The show travels to sixty venues across the U.S. and gives jewelry dealers and gem traders an opportunity to reach thousands of customers.
The July 2022 show in Silicon Valley took place at the San Mateo County Event Center.
But along with thousands of customers, members of the theft ring were at the show, casing the event and watching how the jewelry was transported.
On July 10, 2022, after the show ended, dozens of bags stuffed with exquisite jewelry were loaded into the back of a Brinks semi-truck for transport back to Los Angeles, home base for some of the jewelry dealers.
The ring of thieves watched from the shadows as the loading took place.
After darkness fell, the Brinks semi-truck left the San Mateo Event Center and headed south down U.S. Highway 5 toward SoCal.
The thieves tailed the truck for hundreds of miles, looking for a chance to strike.
Around 2 a.m. on July 11, the Brinks truck pulled into the Flying J truck stop in Lebec, California.
One of the drivers went inside to have a meal. The other driver, who was supposed to be guarding the truck, was fast asleep in the cab.
The thieves crept up to the truck, snipped the lock on the trailer, and slipped away with twenty-four bags of jewelry valued at $100,000,000.
According to the indictment, the ring of thieves had experience with robbing trucks in SoCal.
In Ontario, they allegedly stole $241K worth of Samsung electronics from a truck when the driver went into a store and they were able to distract him.
In Fontana, they pried open a parked truck with a crowbar, but the driver spotted them. One of the thieves allegedly put a knife to driver’s neck and growled, “Don’t move or I will fuck you up!”
But the $100 million jewelry heist was a theft on a far grander scale – it generated worldwide headlines and spawned a massive law enforcement investigation.
If convicted, the seven defendants, ranging in age from their thirties to their sixties, face decades in prison.
