Colombian National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Nationwide Jewelry Theft Ring

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JORGE GIOVANNI ESCOBAR GONZALEZ, 41, a citizen of Colombia last residing in Kissimmee, Florida, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 57 months of imprisonment for his involvement in an organized jewelry theft ring that targeted mall-based stores and kiosks across the country.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from May 2023 through April 2024, Escobar Gonzalez and several other Colombian nationals burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in malls and then transported the stolen property or the proceeds from it across state lines. Before the burglaries, Escobar Gonzalez and his associates surveilled the stores and kiosks to formulate game plans and, as part of that reconnaissance, Escobar Gonzalez more than once posed as a legitimate customer to examine the desired merchandise and assess the establishment's security measures. During the burglaries, Escobar Gonzalez frequently served as one of the thieves who broke into stores and display cases while other co-conspirators served as lookouts.

Escobar Gonzalez and his co-conspirators burglarized jewelry establishments in Paterson, New Jersey, on May 17, 2023; in Mentor, Ohio, on July 21, 2023; in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on August 13, 2023; in Greece, New York, on September 20, 2023; at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, Connecticut, on October 5, 2023; in Lombard, Illinois on October 17, 2023; in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, on October 27, 2023; and in Henrico, Virginia on November 4, 2023. The total losses from these burglaries exceed $4.4 million.

Members of the conspiracy also cased additional jewelry stores and kiosks in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Delaware.

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

On April 9, 2025, Escobar Gonzalez pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property. He has been detained since May 19, 2024, when he was arrested in Florida on state charges related to another jewelry burglary.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI New Haven's Transnational Organized Crime Task Force with the assistance of the Milford (Conn.) Police Department, the Hamilton Township (N.J.) Police Division, the Delaware State Police, the Henrico County (Va.) Police Division, the New York State Police, the New York Police Department, the Pensacola (Fla.) Police Department, the Paterson (N.J.) Police Department, the Mentor (Ohio) Police Department, the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Police Department, the Greece (N.Y.) Police Department, and the Lombard (Ill.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Conor M. Reardon.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked 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 FBI Field Offices in New York, Dallas, Miami, and Tampa for their assistance.