Brinks robbery suspect deported, won't face trial

Victims are indignant that man evades U.S. charges in massive 2022 jewelry heist.

- By Brittny MEJIA AND RICHARD WINTON

MYUNG J. CHUN Los Angeles Times SEVEN men are accused of breaking into a Brinks truck at a Flying J truck stop in Lebec, Calif., in 2022.

A man facing federal charges in what authorities have called the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history was deported to Ecuador late last month, bringing the case against him to a crashing halt, according to recent court filings.

Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was one of seven men charged last year with breaking into a Brinks big rig at a Grapevine truck stop and stealing around $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches in 2022. The inquiry into the heist has seen investigators chase leads across the globe, apprehend one suspect in Panama and explore the alleged thieves’ ties to Ecuador. Much of the loot has not been recovered.

Flores faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. He pleaded not guilty.

But, in a complicated sequence of events, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Flores on or about Dec. 29, according to his attorney, John D. Robertson. In a Jan. 9 motion to dismiss the case against Flores, Robertson said he had “just learned” his client had been deported.

The jewelers victimized by the crime are indignant.

"When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, victims are left without answers, without a verdict, and without closure,” said Jerry Kroll, an attorney for some of the jewelry companies.

“For our clients — jewelers who lost their life’s work — this outcome exposes a gap in the system that deserves transparency. They are entitled to clear answers about how this happened and whether safeguards exist to prevent it from happening again.”