Photos show stolen luxury loot from 'largest jewelry heist in US history'
A robbery crew stole 24 bags filled with Rolex watches, emerald rings, diamond earrings, gold necklaces, and a lavender jade stone the size of a cicada. Now 7 men are charged in the case.
From sparkling rubies, sapphires and emeralds, to diamond-encrusted necklaces and Rolex watches, the haul from what prosecutors say is the "largest jewelry heist in U.S. history" looks straight out of a shop window on Rodeo Drive.
The stolen jewels include a ring with a sapphire stone the size of an almond, another ring of diamonds intricately woven between pools of amethyst, and a pair of dangling earrings made with six different gems.
On July 11, 2022, the jewelry was stolen from a Brink's semi truck making a 2 a.m. pit stop at a gas station. As one of the truck's armed guard drivers went inside for food and the other slept, a robbery crew broke open the truck and got away with 24 bags filled with jewelry worth an estimated $100 million, according to federal prosecutors.
The crime went unsolved for nearly three years until federal authorities announced charges against seven men in connection with the heist on Tuesday, June 17.
In addition to the robbery, which the U.S. Attorney's Office considers to be the "largest jewelry heist in U.S. history," the men were charged in a series of thefts from various cargo trucks starting in March 2022.
"They were definitely professional, organized, and prepared," Jena MacCabe, an assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case, told Paste BN. "They clearly had a system worked out that was very successful, and they were able to take cargo load after cargo load."
You can read more about the heist and how the suspected thieves were nabbed here. See below for photos showing some of the most eye-catching pieces that were stolen.
Photos show jewelry stolen in brazen heist
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter for Paste BN. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.