Jewelry Theft Leads to Capture of Thieves

Last July in Columbus, a jewelry salesman had stopped outside of a restaurant after attending a trade show and was robbed while sitting inside of his car by several men. They smashed the driver's side window, held him in his seat while another accomplice smashed the rear window and grabbed two suitcases which contained 3.7 million dollars worth of gems.

These men are part of a theft ring mainly made up of Columbian nationals who are in the U.S. illegally and who travel around the country targeting traveling jewelry salesmen. The FBI started up a crime category group to combat these specific types of crimes (a jewelry and gem task force) and found that it was a Los Angeles theft group who pulled off the theft in Ohio last year. This group normally commits an average of 45 heists each year netting approximately 15 million dollars. There are other groups from Chicago, Houston, New York and Miami doing the same type of theft and they have no trouble selling the goods once stolen.

Boldness of Salesman Pays Off

The Ohio salesman wasn't going to let the thieves off that easy and as it turns out, had a gun under the front seat of his car. As the robbers were fleeing in a rented car, he shot at them seven times hitting their car with several bullets. Police later found the vehicle abandoned and also found a wallet with a driver's license in it left behind. In coordination with the LA task force, they were able to track the thieves and arrested them in a New Jersey Hotel. They were planning on selling the jewelry in New York; all of the jewelry was recovered and the six men involved later pled guilty to the crime and were sentenced  to jail.

Criminal Defense is Necessary

If you have been charged with theft in the Columbus or surrounding area you need to contact a Columbus criminal defense attorney to help you. At the Meranda Law Firm we focus on helping our clients through skilled negotiation and aggressive litigation. We provide high-quality and affordable legal care. When your reputation, freedom and future are at stake, it's vital to have experienced and skilled representation. As a client, we will stay in close communication with you in every step as the case progresses and will do all in our power to get the charges against you reduced or possibly even dismissed altogether.

Feel free to contact a Columbus theft defense lawyer in our office to set up a consultation at no charge today, and we will go over the details of your case.