Man charged in 'largest jewelry heist in U.S. history,' avoids trial by getting deported, w most goods unrecovered [View all]

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• The deportation raises questions about federal agency coordination, with most stolen merchandise still unrecovered and jewelers questioning whether it could have been prevented.

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 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 faces 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 has pleaded not guilty.

But, in a complicated sequence of events, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Flores on or about December 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.