News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Multi-State Multimillion-Dollar Illegal Alien Jewel Thieves Plead Guilty

The last of the three thieves involved in a multimillion-dollar, multi-state jewel theft ring confessed their guilt in court.

On October 21, Rafael Flores Hernandez and Reyes Higuera appeared before Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas judge Kelly Cottrill.

Hernandez and Higuera pleaded guilty to the multi-state conspiracy.

At a hearing held earlier in October, Pedro Garcia, the third jewel thief, also pleaded guilty.

The three jewel thieves were each charged with felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and felony aggravated theft.

Higuera and Hernandez are both Mexican citizens. Both men have been deported multiple times but re-entered the country illegally to continue committing crimes.

Garcia is a legal, naturalized citizen.

The thieves’ interstate crime spree charged in this case began in May 2023 in Illinois. They forced their way into a jewelry store and then used large plastic totes to carry the jewels into their car. It took them about two minutes to rob each store.

They carried out this same plan between May 2023 and August 2024 robberies across Illinois, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia.

In Georgia, Forsythe County Detective Caleb Martin was assigned the case and began a dogged, one-man, nationwide manhunt for the crew.

Det. Martin was assigned to the case and was determined to see the bandits brought to justice. He worked tirelessly tracking down details of other thefts, watching surveillance videos, and coordinating intelligence from other agencies.

Det. Martin's efforts were rewarded by being appointed to a Federal Bureau of Investigations task force so he could continue his investigation of this crew of convicts.

Over the next several months, Martin contacted multiple law enforcement agencies and warned them that the trio was targeting stores in their area, but without success apprehending the bandits.

In July, Martin contacted the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office about the theft ring. The Sheriff’s Office took immediate action, using advanced technology to track down the thieves and discover they had been in the Zanesville area.

Officers from the Sheriff’s Office and Zanesville Police Department began two weeks of intensive surveillance, locally and in Columbus.

A tracker was installed on the suspects’ car. Detectives informed the local business, whose franchises had been repeatedly targeted by the trio. They began watching the jewelry store, waiting for the thieves to strike.

Finally, in the early morning hours of August 1, the three men broke into their target. They smashed and emptied display cases with more than $170,000 in jewelry in them.

Officers from the Zanesville Police Department and Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office, cooperating with other law enforcement agencies waiting nearby moved in and trapped the suspects.

The thieves were caught red-handed with the jewelry gathered into black tote bins they had brought.

Garcia, Higuera, and Hernandez are suspects in more than twenty similar jewelry store smash-and-grab thefts in the Southeast and Midwest United States.

The crew stole more than $3 million of jewels.

Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor John Litle says the case is an example of the good that hard-working law enforcement officers and court systems can do.

“This case stands as a testament to two things: the determination of Georgia detective Martin to hunt these men down, and the willingness and skill of our local law enforcement to jump at the opportunity to take action,” Litle said. “As this case demonstrates, not every jurisdiction will commit the manpower and effort to make good on a tip about crime, not every jurisdiction has access to the advanced technology to help hunt down offenders, and not every local court system has the reputation of competency and efficiency which makes pleas like this possible.

“Muskingum County is very lucky,” Litle said.

###
Follow the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office on Facebook for the most current and complete information.