Members of a Los Angeles-based jewelry theft ring were arrested and jailed in New Jersey Monday. Six men, all with California addresses, were arrested for the robbery of an Indiana jewelry merchant after a nationwide manhunt that radiated from the scene of the crime in central Ohio.
In a well organized robbery that Ohio law enforcement officials termed "highly professional," thieves followed and attacked a jeweler carrying more than $1 million worth of jewelry. In Columbus, Ohio for a jewelry show, the jeweler was waiting in his locked and running SUV while his wife and daughter went inside a local restaurant to eat. Robbers surprised the jeweler, blocking his escape with their getaway car, smashing the side and rear windows of the SUV and threatening the man. They made off with an undisclosed amount of jewelry that included diamonds, rubies, gold rings and necklaces, according to the police report. The jeweler, who was licensed to carry a gun, fired several shots at the fleeing robbers before calling police.
With the cost of gold and silver skyrocketing, jewelers are even bigger targets than before. FBI agents working the case said jewelry thefts are on the rise and have been increasingly tied to South American organized-crime rings. U.S. jewelers lose more than $100 million to thieves every year. While most large-scale jewelers hire private security firms and armored cars to transport gems to and from shows, small jewelers can't afford the cost. The rule of thumb in the jewelry trade is only attend shows within a gas-tank of home, never carry your best pieces, and never stop until you reach your destination. Police speculate that the jeweler was targeted by theft ring scouts inside the jewelry show and followed.
Law enforcement officers in Los Angeles, Ohio and New Jersey cooperated in the capture of the LA-based robbery ring. Proceedings are under way to extradite the six defendants to Ohio.
In Los Angeles, robbery is a serious criminal offense. A robbery conviction can be punishable by 2 to 9 years in state prison, depending upon the seriousness of the crime and the value of the goods stolen. Use of a gun during robbery adds 10 years to the defendant's sentence; and discharge of a gun increases the sentence by 20 years. To learn more about robbery and its penalties in California, visit the website of experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn.
