CrimeSep 20, 2024
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Man Who Shared Spoils of $2.7M Smash-and-Grab on Social Media Pleads Guilty to Robbery Charge
Ladell Tharpe, 39, took part in a 2022 jewelry store robbery and then posted pictures of cash on Instagram with the text “Robbery Gang.”
Three individuals charged in the March 2022 smash-and-grab robbery at California jewelry store Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills have now pleaded guilty in the case. One of the perpetrators posted piles of cash on Instagram after the robbery, while another lost his cell phone at the scene.
Los Angeles—A California man has pleaded guilty to his role in a midday smash-and-grab robbery at a jewelry store in Beverly Hills, California, in 2022.
On Sept. 30, 39-year-old Ladell Tharpe of Long Beach, California, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (also known as Hobbs Act robbery) for his role in the March 22, 2022, smash-and-grab at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release.
According to his plea agreement, Tharpe led the cars used to transport the robbers and the getaway car to the store on South Beverly Drive, then acted as the lookout while his co-conspirators proceeded to smash up the store.
The Beverly Hills Police Department said up to six suspects, all wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts, used axes, sledgehammers, and crowbars.
They smashed the store’s display cases while customers and employees were in the store and made off with at least 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches, all valued at $2.7 million, the DOJ said.
After the robbery, Tharpe posted pictures of large amounts of cash on Instagram accompanied by a caption that praised his “Robbery Gang.”
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On Sept. 30, 39-year-old Ladell Tharpe of Long Beach, California, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (also known as Hobbs Act robbery) for his role in the March 22, 2022, smash-and-grab at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release.
According to his plea agreement, Tharpe led the cars used to transport the robbers and the getaway car to the store on South Beverly Drive, then acted as the lookout while his co-conspirators proceeded to smash up the store.
The Beverly Hills Police Department said up to six suspects, all wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts, used axes, sledgehammers, and crowbars.
They smashed the store’s display cases while customers and employees were in the store and made off with at least 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches, all valued at $2.7 million, the DOJ said.
After the robbery, Tharpe posted pictures of large amounts of cash on Instagram accompanied by a caption that praised his “Robbery Gang.”
Beverly Hills police worked with the FBI on the case.
In September 2022, six months after the robbery, they arrested three other individuals in connection with the case: 33-year-old Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 22-year-old Deshon Bell, and a juvenile, all of Long Beach.
At the time of their arrest, Tharpe already was in custody for an unrelated offense.
According to the DOJ, Bell, who acted as the getaway driver, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery.
He was sentenced on Feb. 26 to one year and one day in federal prison.
Vernon was one of the perpetrators who went into the jewelry store and smashed up the display cases, according to the DOJ.
His cell phone fell out of the pocket of his sweatpants during the robbery and was recovered by law enforcement at the scene.
He pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery in August. His sentencing is set for Dec. 5.
Tharpe’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025.
Both Tharpe and Vernon face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
A spokesperson for the Beverly Hills Police Department said the case of the March 22 smash-and-grab robbery at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills is now closed.
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