FBI investigates loss of $300,000 in jewels taken from salesman
By Linda Taaffe, Town Crier Staff Writer
Four men suspected of belonging to an organized crime ring from South America escaped with what police are calling one of the largest jewelry grabs in Los Altos history.
Los Altos police Sgt. John Hughmanick said the men took an estimated $300,000 in jewelry from a traveling salesman staying at a local hotel last month. The robbery shared similarities commonly associated with what law enforcement officials call the South American Theft Groups (SATGs), prompting the Federal Bureau of Investigation to join Los Altos police in the investigation, police confirmed.
Hughmanick said four men surrounded the jewelry salesman in the parking garage of the Marriott Courtyard Hotel on El Camino Real as he prepared to get into his car at the start his workday Aug. 19. One of the men was armed with a semi-automatic handgun, Hughmanick said. The men searched the salesman before taking his briefcase and forcing him into the trunk of his car.
The salesman said the men appeared to be in their mid-20s and of Hispanic descent. They drove away in two vehicles; a dark blue van, possibly a Ford or General Motors, and a 1980 Honda Accord.
By the time the salesman freed himself and called police, the men were long gone, Hughmanick said. They had probably already switched vehicles two or three times and possibly had sent the stolen goods with someone to the airport, he said.
Crime groups, such as the one suspected to be involved in this case, typically move goods from one city to another very quickly, Hughmanick said.
“This was a well-orchestrated, well-planned situation,” he said. “This may be connected with other similar types of robberies in Northern and Southern California.”
Hughmanick said it is probable that the men followed the salesman as he made his business rounds in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and waited in the parking garage overnight for him to return with the jewelry the next morning.
The organized theft groups typically target traveling salesmen. They rarely target stores, according to an FBI report. The groups predominantly consist of Colombian nationals, ages 20 and older.
They often use several vehicles to conduct surveillance on their victims and use guns and knives to commit their crimes, according to the FBI. Often, they develop informants within the jewelry industry to target sales people.
Most of these groups are based in Atlanta, New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago.
The groups are highly mobile, moving from city to city and country to country, according to the FBI.
The FBI formed the Jewelry and Gem Program in 1992 when the country experienced a spike in robberies of traveling salesmen.
FBI statistics show that the jewelry industry loses more than $100 million annually to robberies. Investigators said the criminals steal in one city, sell the goods in another and then launder the cash out of the country.
“These theft rings are sophisticated; they’re organized; they’re violent - and they require a sophisticated and multijurisdictional response,” an FBI Jewelry and Gem Program spokesperson said.
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