Suspect in $100M jewelry heist allowed to self-deport instead of going to trial
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Federal immigration authorities have approved the self-deportation of a suspect involved in a $100 million jewelry theft, allowing him to avoid a trial and escape possible prison time.
Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, was one of seven people charged last year with following an armored truck to a rural California highway rest area and stealing diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in July 2022, in what is considered the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history.
Flores faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit interstate and foreign shipment theft and interstate and foreign shipment theft. He pleaded not guilty.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Flores late last month after he requested voluntary departure, prosecutors said in court filings.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO STOLE DHS SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM’S GUCCI BAG PLED GUILTY AND FACED DEPORTATION
Federal immigration authorities have allowed a suspect involved in a $100 million jewelry theft to deport to Ecuador. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The jewelers the suspects robbed are also seeking answers from immigration authorities.
“When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, victims are left with no answers, no verdict and no closure,” Jerry Kroll, a lawyer for some jewelry companies, told the Los Angeles Times.
Flores’ attorney, John D. Robertson, moved to dismiss the indictment against his client, asking that the charges be permanently dropped and the case closed.
Federal prosecutors said they still want to bring Flores to justice, asking that the charges be dropped “without prejudice” to allow future criminal prosecutions.
While Flores was a legal permanent resident and out on bail, he was transferred to ICE custody in September, according to court records. Federal prosecutors said they did not know he had an immigration detainer.
Robertson argued that this violates his client’s criminal prosecution rights and justifies his motion to dismiss his case.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores late last month after he requested voluntary departure. (Getty Images)
Flores requested deportation to Chile during an immigration hearing on Dec. 16, according to court documents. The judge denied his request for voluntary departure but issued a final order of removal.
He was then deported to Ecuador.
“Prosecutors are expected to 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. “That is exactly what they did in this case – unintentionally, to the benefit of the defendant in that he will now avoid trial, and any potential conviction and sentence, unless and until he returns to the United States.”
Immigration officials typically informed prosecutors about what happened if a defendant had immigration proceedings against them. In minor cases, a defendant may sometimes choose to self-deport instead of being prosecuted.
Former federal prosecutor Laurie Levenson said what happened in Flores’ case was highly unusual, particularly because of the importance of the case.
MASSIVE LUXURY HANDBAG THEFT PHOTOGRAPHED ON CAMERA AS HEAVY-ARMED POLICE MURDER CALIFORNIA STORE
Federal prosecutors said they still want to bring Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores to justice. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
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“It boggles my mind how they could deport him without prosecutors … being part of the conversation,” Levenson told the Associated Press. “It was really the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing.”
The jewelry theft occurred in July 2022 after the suspects stalked a Brink’s tractor-trailer leaving an international jewelry show near San Francisco with dozens of bags of jewelry, according to the indictment. Victims reported losses of more than $100 million, but Brink’s said the stolen items were worth less than $10 million.
According to a complaint filed by the security company, one of the drivers was sleeping inside the vehicle and the other was collecting food inside the rest area when the thieves broke in.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
