Los Angeles, California: Man Agrees to Plead Guilty in $100 Million Brinks Jewelry Heist, the Largest in US History

LOS ANGELES, California: A man accused of taking part in the largest jewelry heist in United States history has agreed to plead guilty to a federal robbery charge, according to court documents filed on Monday, November 9, in federal court in Los Angeles.

Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 32, an Ecuadorean national, agreed to plead guilty to a single count of interference with commerce by robbery, Reuters reported. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. In return, prosecutors agreed to drop several other charges he faced. He is expected to enter the plea at a hearing set for November 19. The 22 page plea agreement says he is likely to face deportation once his sentence is served, Reuters reported.

The heist

Mestanza was one of seven men indicted over the robbery of a Brinks semi-trailer truck on July 11, 2022. On the evening of July 10, 2022, Mestanza and his co-defendants scouted the truck as it left an international jewelry show in San Mateo, California, carrying 73 bags of jewelry, City News Service reported, citing his plea agreement. The group followed the shipment nearly 300 miles south, coordinating by cellphone, through stops at Buttonwillow and Lebec.

While the truck was stopped at Lebec, in Kern County, the men broke through its locks and took 24 bags, authorities said. The stolen collection held fine gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches valued at about $100 million, according to the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, which called it the largest jewelry heist on record in the United States. The men later deactivated the phone numbers used during the heist, court papers say.

It is not clear from the court documents whether any of the stolen jewelry was ever recovered.

Earlier cargo thefts admitted

In the plea agreement, Mestanza also admitted taking part with his co-defendants in earlier highway cargo thefts in March 2022, Reuters reported. City News Service reported the group was accused of stealing $240,573 worth of Samsung electronics in Ontario, California, on March 2, 2022, and of robbing a box truck driver of $57,377 worth of Apple AirTags, at knifepoint. On May 25, 2022, the group allegedly tried to break into a truck at a Fontana rest stop, then stole about $14,081 worth of Samsung electronics from another shipment in Fontana.

Arrest in Panama

After the federal indictment against him became public in June 2025, Mestanza traveled through Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize and Canada, according to his plea agreement. He was arrested on July 1, 2025, at the international airport in Panama City, Panama, during a layover on a flight from Guatemala to Ecuador.

What happens next

Three of Mestanza's co-defendants are scheduled to stand trial in March 2027 in federal court in Los Angeles. Two other accused men remain at large, and a seventh accused member of the group has been deported, according to City News Service. Mestanza's plea hearing is set for November 19, and sentencing will follow later.

Key numbers

• About $100 million: value of the jewelry taken from the Brinks truck
• 73 bags: jewelry bags on the truck when it left San Mateo
• 24 bags: bags taken at Lebec
• Nearly 300 miles: distance the group followed the shipment
• Up to 20 years: maximum prison term for the robbery count
• 7 men: total indicted in the case