Southern California man to plead guilty in massive 2022 jewelry heist case

A Pasadena man involved in the so-called "largest jewelry heist in U.S. history" is set to plead guilty to a federal charge, according to court documents.

Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 32, is expected to plead guilty to interference with commerce by robbery at a future court date. Court documents say Mestanza could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and is obligated to pay restitution.

As part of the plea agreement, Mestanza admitted that on July 11, 2022, he and others broke the locks of a Brinks truck in Lebec, in Kern County north of Los Angeles, before making off with about $100 million of jewelry and gold. The robbery came after a co-conspirator scouted an international jewelry show in San Mateo, indicating to the others that the Brinks semi-truck was carrying millions of dollars' worth of goods.

Mestanza and the co-defendants traveled to East Hollywood with the stolen goods and deactivated the cell phone numbers used to plan the crime. The Department of Justice on Tuesday said the FBI recovered some jewelry and was sorting it to return to victims.

A total of seven men have been charged for their roles in the heist, although Mestanza is the first to make a plea deal. He was initially detained in July 2025 at the airport in Panama City, Panama, while there on a layover from Guatemala to Ecuador.

One of the other defendants,  Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 43 of Upland, pleaded not guilty during his initial court appearance last year and was granted release on bond, according to court filings. He was transferred to "the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a detainer" without the knowledge of federal prosecutors.

"Unbeknownst to the prosecutors, defendant was taken into immigration custody," the U.S. Attorney's Office wrote in court filings. "There, he faced two options: (1) assert his lawful permanent residence status, fight his criminal case, and face a potentially lengthy criminal sentence only to possibly be deported after his release; or (2) waive his immigration rights, functionally self-deport, and avoid criminal exposure all together. He chose the latter."

Presilla was later deported to Ecuador.