Latest news with #5StarJewelry
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Yahoo
Four Suspects Arrested in $3 Million Heist at a Simi Valley Jewelry Store
Four Suspects Arrested in $3 Million Heist at a Simi Valley Jewelry Store originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Four suspects, allegedly tied to a South American crime ring, were arrested and charged Friday for the theft of over $3 million worth of property from 5 Star Jewelry & Watch Repair in Simi Valley. Each defendant has been charged with four felony counts—two counts of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and two counts of conspiracy to receive stolen property– for the May 25 heist of the family-owned store. Due to newly-voted proposition 36, the defendants will also face special allegations of excessive loss over $3 million, and theft or damage in concert with others, according to Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko's news footage captured three individuals in Dr. Conkey's Candy and Coffee shop, a store that shares a wall with 5 Star Jewelry, five days prior to the theft. Five days later, the suspects, described by police as a 'sophisticated burglary crew,' cut through the shared wall and entered the jewelry store where they allegedly broke into a safe and stole jewelry, cash, and other unspecified items. 'They were sophisticated and skilled professionals who used counter surveillance measures, a collapsible ladder, rope, and power tools to cut through a roof, tunnel into a wall, and breach a safe to take millions in watches, jewelry, cash and other merchandise,' Nasarenko said during the news of the items and cash have been recovered by the Simi Valley Police Department. Police report that this burglary crew may be connected to other robberies, but cannot provide further details, according to CBS News. The defendants are scheduled for an early disposition conference at Ventura County Superior Court on June 23 at 1:30 p.m. A preliminary hearing is set for June 26. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
4 Chilean nationals arrested in $3 million Southern California jewelry heist
Four members of a burglary crew were arrested in connection with a $3 million jewelry store heist in Ventura County. The suspects, all Chilean nationals, were identified by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office as: Heidy Nickolt Trujillo, 25 Camilo Antonio Aguliar Lara, 31 Sergio Andres Meji-Machuca, 27 Manuel David Ibarra, 37 Beginning in May, the burglary crew is accused of a scheme targeting 5 Star Jewelry & Watch repair, a family-owned business on Cochran Street in Simi Valley. On May 20, three suspects arrived at the store in a white Volvo SUV, where two people conducted surveillance and peered into the store through the front window. They entered Dr. Conkey's Candy and Coffee shop next door to assess the location of any surveillance cameras. They also allegedly inspected the walls that adjoin the jewelry store. On May 25, the crew returned to the shopping plaza and brought a ladder and rope with them. The ladder was placed against the coffee shop's exterior as the thieves cut through the roof to gain entry, authorities said. They drilled a hole through a shared wall between the coffee and jewelry shop to access the store's safe. One suspect had also spray-painted a surveillance camera to cover up the break-in. The group ransacked the jewelry store and escaped with over $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and valuables, prosecutors said. They fled the area and transported the stolen jewelry to a home in L.A. County. The costly theft had devastated the family that owned the store. Owner Jonathan Youssef said that 25 years ago, his father had built the business from the ground up and had planned on retiring soon before losing everything they owned. On June 10, the four suspects were arrested. Some of them were reportedly found wearing the stolen items. A stolen firearm was also located. They were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and two counts of conspiracy to receive stolen property. These were not teenagers burglarizing a local business to score quick cash,' Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said during a June 13 news conference. 'They were sophisticated and skilled professionals who used counter-surveillance measures, a collapsible ladder, rope, and power tools to cut through a roof, tunnel into a wall, and breach a safe to take millions in watches, jewelry, cash and other merchandise.' Authorities said there may be additional cases connected with the group, but no further details were provided on those incidents. All four suspects are being held on $100,000 bail. If convicted as charged, they could face six to nine years in prison. They are scheduled for an early disposition conference in Ventura County Superior Court on June 23. A preliminary hearing is set for June 26. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
$2 million in cash, jewelry stolen in brazen Simi Valley heist: "These guys were professional thieves"
Surveillance camera video captured the moment that a group of suspects burglarized two Simi Valley businesses overnight, including $2 million in stolen cash and product taken from a jewelry store. It happened in the 2800 block of Cochran Street over the weekend, at around midnight on Sunday, says Ted Mackel, who owns Dr. Conkey's Candy & Coffee. His shop was how the suspects gained access to the jewelry store next door. He says that they entered the building through the roof over the bathroom behind his business, entered through the door and slid across the floor towards some shelves. It's there that video shows them drilling through the wall and directly into the safe of 5 Star Jewelry and Repair. "These guys were professional thieves. They had a plan, they must've cased us," said Jonathan Youssef, who owns the impacted store with his father Jacob. The small hole burglars drilled in the side wall of the safe at Five Stars Jewelry and Repair in Simi Valley, through which business owners say they took nearly $2 million in stolen goods. KCAL News At first, they thought that nothing inside of their business was stolen, but upon opening the safe, they realized that they had been hit without the suspect every stepping foot inside. They took off with every piece of gold jewelry the store had, every luxury watch and multiple other irreplaceable items. "So, they cut through her wall into my safe and stole everything that me and my dad have accumulated for our business over the past 25 years," Youssef said. "The worst part about the loss of property that we had was the customers that we built up over that same period. Trust us with their heirloom jewelry to repair and unfortunately, some of that jewelry, all of that jewelry, was stolen." They estimate that $2 million in jewelry was taken. They're working to secure loans to replace the stolen gold and replicate the heirloom pieces that were taken. On top of the material goods, but Mackel and Youssef say that they had something else taken from them in the four-hour window that the thieves were operating. "Was enough for them to drill through and take everything that we have, including my dad's retirement, including my future. Every single thing that we had," Youssef said. "These are the people, the families you go to church with, the families that your kids are in school with, run all these businesses and when things like this happen, it's devastating," Mackel said. "It's absolutely devastating." So far, investigators have not yet released any description of the suspects or announced any arrests.
