English 
हिन्दी 
Seven men from California were charged in the “largest jewelry heist” in the history of the United States that involved theft of $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches, reported BBC.
The Brinks company truck, which was transporting the jewelry, was robbed at a remote stop when one of the drivers slept inside and the other was having a meal, the report added. The incident took place in July 2022.
In a press release, dated June 17, the US Attorney’s Office Central District of California confirmed that the seven men are accused of stealing around “$100 million worth” of expensive items from the Brinks semitruck in July 2022.
Who are the seven charged in $100M jewel heist?
The defendants have been identified as:
1. Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado (31) of Pasadena
2. Jazael Padilla Resto (36) of Boyle Heights
3. Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig (41) of Rialto
4. Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano (60) of the Rampart Village neighborhood of Los Angeles
5. Jorge Enrique Alban (33) of south Los Angeles
6. Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores (42) of Upland
7. Eduardo Macias Ibarra (36) of Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
What are the charges against them?
All of them have been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment as well as theft from interstate and foreign shipment.
Five of them have also been charged with two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, along with interference with commerce by robbery. Padilla is currently in jail in Arizona for third-degree burglary with unlawful entry.
According to the indictment, the suspects tracked the truck on July 10, 2022, when it left a jewelry show in San Mateo, California, with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewelry, People reported.
They followed the Brinks truck from July 10 evening until morning of July 11 for around 300 miles. They took away 24 of the 73 bags when it stopped in Lebec.
The accused did not use any weapons for the robbery, which was discovered after the driver came back to the vehicle and saw that the exterior padlock was missing. The vehicle was moving towards another jewelry show in Pasadena, California.
As per the official statement, some of the items were recovered during the execution of search warrants on June 16.
FAQs
1. What jewelry did they steal?
They escaped with about $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches.
2. How did they gain access to the truck?
The indictment does not mention how the accused accessed the truck.
3. What happens with the seven accused next?
Authorities said the defendants could face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for theft conspiracy charges, besides the 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge.
