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1 of 7 Men Charged in $100M Brinks Heist to Plead Guilty
Three of the other alleged perpetrators will stand trial next March, while two remain on the lam and one was deported late last year.
Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, one of the seven men indicted in what is believed to be the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history, has signed a plea agreement. His sentencing is set for Nov. 19.
Los Angeles—One of the seven men accused of stealing $100 million in jewelry and watches from a Brinks truck that was traveling between trade shows in California has agreed to plead guilty.
The plea agreement for Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado was signed last week and filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The Brinks heist happened in July 2022 and Mestanza, along with six other men, were indicted on June 17, 2025.
Mestanza initially faced a total of six charges related to theft and robbery but pleaded down to one count of interference with commerce by robbery.
According to his plea agreement, between March and July 2022, Mestanza worked with other individuals to steal electronics and jewelry from trucks traveling through Los Angeles and San Bernadino counties.
They stole more than $240,000 worth of Samsung electronics from a 7-Eleven in Ontario, California, on March 2, 2022; more than $55,000 in Apple AirTags from a truck parked in Fontana, California, on March 11; and about $14,000 in Samsung electronics from another truck in Fontana on May 25, court records state.
The perpetrators took the stolen goods back to Los Angeles, divided them up, and sold them.
The Brinks theft—which has been called the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history—happened in July 2022.
According to the plea agreement, Mestanza was one of the perpetrators in the vehicle that followed the armored truck from a jewelry trade show in San Mateo, California, tracking it south to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, about 300 miles.
On July 11, Mestanza and the other perpetrators broke the locks on the truck while it was parked at a Flying J rest stop in Lebec. One driver reportedly was in the rest stop getting food when the theft occurred, while the second driver had been asleep in the truck.
They snatched 24 bags filled with diamond and gemstone jewelry, luxury watches, and gold valued at approximately $100 million, which they took to East Hollywood.
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The plea agreement for Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado was signed last week and filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The Brinks heist happened in July 2022 and Mestanza, along with six other men, were indicted on June 17, 2025.
Mestanza initially faced a total of six charges related to theft and robbery but pleaded down to one count of interference with commerce by robbery.
According to his plea agreement, between March and July 2022, Mestanza worked with other individuals to steal electronics and jewelry from trucks traveling through Los Angeles and San Bernadino counties.
They stole more than $240,000 worth of Samsung electronics from a 7-Eleven in Ontario, California, on March 2, 2022; more than $55,000 in Apple AirTags from a truck parked in Fontana, California, on March 11; and about $14,000 in Samsung electronics from another truck in Fontana on May 25, court records state.
The perpetrators took the stolen goods back to Los Angeles, divided them up, and sold them.
The Brinks theft—which has been called the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history—happened in July 2022.
According to the plea agreement, Mestanza was one of the perpetrators in the vehicle that followed the armored truck from a jewelry trade show in San Mateo, California, tracking it south to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, about 300 miles.
On July 11, Mestanza and the other perpetrators broke the locks on the truck while it was parked at a Flying J rest stop in Lebec. One driver reportedly was in the rest stop getting food when the theft occurred, while the second driver had been asleep in the truck.
They snatched 24 bags filled with diamond and gemstone jewelry, luxury watches, and gold valued at approximately $100 million, which they took to East Hollywood.
After the indictment was made public in June 2025, Mestanza, who is from Ecuador, searched the internet for information on being wanted by the police, Interpol (the international police organization), and Ecuadorians traveling to other countries like Mexico and Canada, his plea agreement states.
He also texted someone about his “stupidities from the past that I’m now paying for” and messaged a South American WhatsApp number about crossing the U.S.-Mexico border after a “robo grande,” or big robbery.
Officials detained Mestanza on July 1, 2025, at the airport in Panama City, Panama, where he was on a layover en route to Ecuador.
His sentencing is set for Nov. 19, and he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Three of Mestanza’s alleged co-conspirators—Alberto Javier Loza (a.k.a. Jazael Padilla Resto), Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, and Jorge Enrique Alban—are scheduled to stand trial in March 2027, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
Two men, Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano and Eduardo Macias Ibarra, are still wanted by police.
The seventh alleged co-conspirator, Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, was deported to Ecuador in late December 2025.
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