Three months after what was arguably one of many nation’s most high-value jewellery heists in current reminiscence, legislation enforcement companies have filed no prices within the case, which additionally served to spotlight a historical past of pricey jewellery heist schemes.

A pair of Brink’s safety guards hauling a tractor-trailer of jewels price hundreds of thousands have been robbed in California whereas one of many staff was sleeping contained in the car and the opposite had left to purchase meals, in line with lawsuits associated to the heist. 

The Brink’s truck was stopped close to a relaxation cease in Lebec, California, on July 11 and was transporting the precious gems from San Francisco to the Pasadena Conference Heart, when the thieves snapped a lock and broke in. Courtroom papers describe how one of many safety guards was snoozing contained in the truck, whereas the opposite had stepped out for meals. The truck was loaded with 73 luggage – 22 of which have been stolen, officers stated.

A lawsuit obtained by The Related Press describes how the criminals obtained away with the 22 luggage of bijou that the victims say was collectively price over $100 million, which might make it the most costly jewel heist in current historical past. 

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The 14 “mother and pop” companies that had jewellery stolen accused Brink’s of negligence and breach of contract, and argued that the corporate’s safety guards “virtually invited” the heist to happen, in line with the report.

“Everybody in our group has been emotionally and financially destroyed,” the plaintiffs stated in a press release to the AP on the time of the late-August lawsuit. “We’re misplaced and have no idea what comes subsequent in our lives. No matter plans all of us have for the longer term for our companies and our households has evaporated instantly.” 

However Brink’s argued that the jewelers “considerably under-declared the worth of their shipments on the Pickup Manifest,” for which they recognized the jewellery as being collectively price $8.7 million – a far cry from the nine-figure sum that the victims claimed, in line with the safety firm’s personal lawsuit filed in August within the Southern District of New York.

Of their lawsuit, Brinks’ attorneys famous that the drivers have been performing in accordance with Division of Transportation pointers over the course of the night time, together with after they went to sleep or left to get meals. 

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Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Los Angeles Discipline Workplace, advised Fox Information Digital no prices had been filed within the case. She stated her workplace continues to work with Los Angeles police and legislation enforcement.

Sgt. Michael Mileski, from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Division’s Main Crimes Bureau-Metro Element, advised Fox Information Digital that investigators are nonetheless “sifting by means of info and proof obtained so far.”

“Detectives and FBI brokers have performed quite a few witness, sufferer and different interviews and are pursuing all leads,” he added. 

Pictures supplied by the FBI Los Angeles present a portion of the stolen items, together with numerous rings, necklaces and gems, amongst different valuable jewels. 

SEE SOME OF THE STOLEN JEWELRY HERE: 

Over $100 million in jewellery is stolen yearly, the FBI has estimated.

Jewellery thefts reached their heyday within the Nineteen Sixties and particularly 1963 when, in line with Smithsonian Journal, a heist occurred at a mean charge of as soon as each 32 seconds. Thieves reportedly stole an estimated $41 million in insured jewellery throughout that yr alone.

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Some of the well-known heists of the last decade concerned the American Museum of Pure Historical past in New York Metropolis. Based on the Smithsonian, two males slipped into the constructing late on Oct. 29, 1964, whereas a 3rd stored lookout.

As reported by the journal, “After scaling a fence to the museum’s courtyard, they scrambled up a hearth escape to safe a rope to a pillar simply above the fourth-floor home windows of the J.P. Morgan Corridor of Gems and Minerals. Clinging to the rope, one among them swung to an open window and used his ft to decrease the sash. They have been in.”

They then reportedly used tape and a glass-cutting machine to interrupt into fixtures and get away with 24 valuable stones. They made off with world-famous jewels, together with the Star of India, a 563.35-carat sapphire deemed the “world’s greatest” by the journal.

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In complete, the stolen objects have been valued to be price $3 million at the moment, or $410,000 on the time, in line with the report. 

And such heists – some harking back to an “Ocean’s Eleven”-type scheme – have been reported usually over the course of the a long time since, although not all the time involving jewellery. 

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In March 1972, masked males stole an estimated $30 million from a United California Financial institution in Laguna Niguel. In accordance to Cleveland.com, the group was concentrating on alleged “soiled marketing campaign cash” that President Richard Nixon had stashed there, after the crime crew had acquired phrase from Jimmy Hoffa in regards to the whereabouts of the money. 

A decade later, two thieves set their sights on the Sentry Armored Courier Corp. within the Bronx, New York, officers stated. They stole over $11 million, the FBI stated, in what was described as an “inside job,” in line with The Related Press.

And three high-value heists have been carried out individually in 1997, although two focused the identical firm. 

In March of that yr, armored car driver Philip Jackson handcuffed two colleagues and stole about $18.8 million from a Loomis, Fargo and Co. truck, News4Jax.com reported. Based on the information website, he then saved the money in a shed in North Carolina and fled to Mexico Metropolis, however was nabbed 5 months later. 

Then in September, 5 males robbed a Dunbar Armored native on Mateo Avenue in Los Angeles, the place they made off with almost $19 million in lower than half-hour, the L.A. Occasions reported. Investigators reportedly later tracked the thieves by linking them to a chunk of a taillight left close to the scene. 

Loomis was focused once more months after the primary heist, in October 1997, when an armored truck driver in Charlotte, North Carolina, used his firm car to get away with $17 million in stolen money, WCNC-TV reported. He and a number of other others have been nabbed months later in reference to the scheme.