Two Colombian Nationals Charged in Nationwide Jewelry Theft Ring Extradited to the U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O'Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that two Colombian nationals have been extradited to the United States to face charges related to their alleged involvement in an organized jewelry theft ring that targeted mall-based stores and kiosks across the country.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, from May 2023 through April 2024, ELVIS GUEVARA QUINTERO, JAIME TORRES CASTIBLANCO, and several other Colombian nationals burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in malls in Connecticut and other states and then transported the stolen property or the proceeds from it across state lines. Before the burglaries, the co-conspirators surveilled the stores and kiosks to formulate game plans and, as part of that reconnaissance, posed as legitimate customers to examine the desired merchandise and assess the establishment's security measures. During the burglaries, the co-conspirators forced their way into closed businesses, sometimes by cutting a hole through a wall, and then pried open and smashed locked display cases. They then carted off the stolen merchandise.

It is alleged that Guevara Quintero, Torres Castiblanco, and their 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 14, 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; in Henrico, Virginia on November 4, 2023; and in Horseheads, New York on April 18, 2024. Members of the conspiracy also cased additional jewelry stores and kiosks in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Delaware. The total losses from these burglaries exceed $4.4 million.

To date, none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered by law enforcement. The investigation revealed that much of the stolen jewelry was sold to the owner of a jewelry store in Queens, New York, who then sold it to others, including those he knew would melt down the gold.

On July 16, 2024, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Guevara Quintero, 51, Torres Castiblanco, 51, and others, each with one count of conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

Guevara Quintero and Torres Castiblanco were arrested by the Colombian authorities at the request of the United States on August 12, 2025, and have been detained since. On August 28, 2026, they appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges in the indictment.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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. Attorney David T. Huang.

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.

The Justice Department's Judicial Attaché in Bogotá and Office of International Affairs and Colombian authorities provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extradition of Guevara Quintero and Torres Castiblanco.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.