An accused thief charged in what authorities have called the largest jewelry heist in US history may have walked away scot-free — by getting deported back to Ecuador.
Jeson Nelon Prescilla Flores was one of seven suspects accused of masterminding the audacious $100 million theft from a Brinks tractor-trailer at a Flying J Travel Center in Lebec, California in July 2022.
Prosecutors alleged the crew targeted the truck — loaded with gold, diamonds, precious stones and luxury watches — and stole it in broad daylight as it traveled between trade shows.
The thieves allegedly followed the truck for 300 miles from Northern California to a rest stop north of Los Angeles, according to the indictment against them.
Flores was released on bail in August, and he was taken into custody by federal immigration officers.
He faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted at trial. He had pleaded not guilty.
But in a stunning twist straight out of a crime drama, he instead opted to be deported in late December, while still in ICE custody — a choice that effectively wiped out the case against him.
His lawyer, John D. Robertson, reportedly only learned of the deportation in early January and then filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the indictment.
In a Jan. 15 motion, Robertson argued “that the government chose to forgo his criminal prosecution.”
But federal prosecutors were blindsided.
In court filings, Assistant US Attorneys Kevin Butler and Jena MacCabe said they had no clue Flores was being ejected from the country while their case against him was pending — and accused him of essentially waiving his right to a trial to escape serious charges.
They argued that the criminal case should not simply vanish just because Flores had left American soil.
“When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, victims are left without answers, without a verdict, and without closure,” attorney Jerry Kroll, who is representing some of the jewelers whose merchandise was stolen, told the Los Angeles Times.
“For our clients — jewelers who lost their life’s work — this outcome exposes a gap in the system that deserves transparency,” Kroll added.
Flores could potentially be charged again if he ever returns to the US.
Robertson did not respond to a request for comment.
Read the full article here
