BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut — A man originally from Colombia, who most recently resided in Florida, was sentenced in Connecticut on Thursday for his role in a sophisticated theft operation. This group traversed across multiple states, pilfering jewelry worth over $4.4 million.

Escobar Gonzalez, a Colombian national with recent residence in Kissimmee, Florida, was implicated in a criminal network that targeted mall-based jewelry outlets across the nation.

On Thursday, he was sentenced in a federal court in Bridgeport to serve a term of four years and nine months, as reported by the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

The prosecution revealed that between May 2023 and April 2024, Escobar Gonzalez collaborated with other Colombian nationals to burglarize jewelry stores and kiosks in malls located in various states.

They then transported the stolen property or proceeds from it to other parts of the country.

Before the burglaries, Escobar Gonzalez and his accomplices surveilled the stores and kiosks and strategized on how to steal from them.

As part of the reconnaissance, Escobar Gonzalez would pose as a regular customer and examine the targeted merchandise while taking note of the business’ security measures.

During most of the group’s burglaries, Escobar Gonzalez would break into the store, enter its display cases and steal the items, while his associates stayed on the lookout.

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The group stole from jewelry stores in Paterson, N.J.; Mentor, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Greece, N.Y.; Milford, Conn.; Lombard, Ill.; Hamilton Township, N.J.; and Henrico, Va.

Prosecutors showed that the total losses amounted to over $4.4 million. 

To date, none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered by law enforcement personnel.

Prosecutors also noted that members of the group later cased more jewelry stores and kiosks in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Delaware.

On April 9, Escobar Gonzalez pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property. He had been detained since May 19, 2024, after being arrested in Florida on state charges in connection with another jewelry burglary.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force.

The task force received help from the Milford Police Department in Connecticut, the Hamilton Township Police Division in New Jersey, the Delaware State Police, the Henrico County Police Division in Virginia, the New York State Police, the New York Police Department, the Pensacola Police Department in Florida, the Paterson Police Department in New Jersey, the Mentor Police Department in Ohio, the Fort Wayne Police Department in Indiana, the Greece Police Department in New York and the Lombard Police Department in Illinois.

Members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut also expressed gratitude toward the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the FBI Field Offices in New York, Dallas, Miami and Tampa.

Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com. 

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