Suspect in $100M jewelry heist allowed to self-deport instead of going to trial
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Federal immigration authorities approved the self-deportation of a suspect in a $100 million jewelry heist, allowing him to avoid prosecution and potential prison time.
Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, was one of seven people accused of following an armored truck to a rural highway rest stop in California last year and stealing diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in July 2022. This is believed to be the largest jewelry heist in US history.
Flores faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipments and theft from interstate and foreign shipments. He did not admit his guilt.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Flores late last month after he requested voluntary departure, prosecutors said in court filings.
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Federal immigration authorities allowed a $100 million jewelry heist suspect to deport himself to Ecuador. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The jewelers from which the suspects stole are also waiting for a response from immigration authorities.
“When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, the victims are left unanswered, unaccounted for and unclosable,” Jerry Kroll, an attorney for some jewelry companies, told the Los Angeles Times.
Flores’ attorney, John D. Robertson, requested that the indictment against his client be dismissed, permanently dismissing the charges and closing the case.
Federal prosecutors said they still wanted to bring Flores to trial and asked that the charges be dismissed “without prejudice” so that future criminal prosecution could be pursued.
Although Flores was a legal permanent resident and out on bail, he was transferred to ICE custody in September, according to court filings. Federal prosecutors said they were unaware he was an immigration detainee.
Robertson argued that this violated his client’s criminal prosecution rights and justified his request to have his case dismissed.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores late last month after she requested voluntary departure. (Getty Images)
Flores requested deportation to Chile during an immigration hearing on Dec. 16, according to court documents. The judge rejected his application for voluntary departure but issued a final deportation order.
He was later deported to Ecuador.
“Prosecutors must allow the civil immigration process to proceed independently while criminal charges are pending,” federal prosecutors wrote in their motion opposing efforts to dismiss the case. he wrote. “That’s exactly what they did in this case, unwittingly benefiting the defendant; he will now avoid trial and any potential conviction and punishment unless he returns to the United States.”
Immigration officials would typically let prosecutors know what was happening if a criminal defendant had immigration charges filed against him. In minor cases, the defendant may sometimes choose to self-deport rather than face prosecution.
Former federal prosecutor Laurie Levenson said what happened in the Flores case was highly unusual, especially because of the importance of this case.
HEAVILY ARMED POLICE HERD, HUGE LUXURY BAG ROBBERY AT CALIFORNIA STORE CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Federal prosecutors said they still want to bring Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores to trial. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
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“I don’t see how they can deport him without prosecutors being involved in the conversation,” Levenson told The Associated Press. “It was really a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing.”
According to the indictment, the jewelry heist was carried out in July 2022 after suspects followed Brink’s tractor trailer as it left an international jewelry fair near San Francisco with dozens of bags full of jewelry. Victims reported losses of more than $100 million, but Brink said the value of the stolen items was less than $10 million.
According to the lawsuit filed by the security company, one of the drivers was sleeping in the vehicle and the other was getting food from a rest stop when the thieves broke in.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
