'Largest jewelry heist in U.S. history': 7 indicted in massive Brink's job

It was a jewelry heist days in the making — one allegedly planned by thieves who had worked their way up to a major score after honing their covert craft in the parking lots and truck stops of San Bernardino County.

When they broke into a Brink’s big rig at a remote Grapevine truck stop in the dead of night three years ago, the men may have gotten more than they bargained for: a haul that could be worth up to $100 million.

That would make the theft of 24 bags containing jewelry, gems, watches and other precious items on July 11, 2022, among the biggest heists of all time.

All of this according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles against seven co-conspirators who allegedly carried out the theft at the Flying J Travel Center in Lebec, Calif. The men were each charged with conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and also theft from interstate and foreign shipment. Some face additional charges.

In all, 14 jewelers whose merchandise Brink’s was transporting to Pasadena were victimized that day. Several suffered grave financial losses, and some left the trade altogether. The merchants, many of whom are based in L.A., have been locked in a years long legal battle with Brink’s over the value of their pilfered goods.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-17/multimillion-dollar-brinks-heist