From sparkling rubies, sapphires and emeralds, to diamond-encrusted necklaces and Rolex watches, the haul from what prosecutors say is the "largest jewelry heist in U.S. history" looks straight out of a shop window on Rodeo Drive.
The stolen jewels include a ring with a sapphire stone the size of an almond, another ring of diamonds intricately woven between pools of amethyst, and a pair of dangling earrings made with six different gems.
On July 11, 2022, the jewelry was stolen from a Brink's semi truck making a 2 a.m. pit stop at a gas station. As one of the truck's armed guard drivers went inside for food and the other slept, a robbery crew broke open the truck and got away with 24 bags filled with jewelry worth an estimated $100 million, according to federal prosecutors.
The crime went unsolved for nearly three years until federal authorities announced charges against seven men in connection with the heist on Tuesday, June 17.
In addition to the massive robbery, which the U.S. Attorney's Office considers to be the "largest jewelry heist in U.S. history," the men were charged in a series of thefts from various cargo trucks starting in March 2022.
