Suspect Agrees to Plead Guilty in $100 Million Jewelry Heist

On November 9, 2026, a court filing made public in California showed that Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado had agreed to admit guilt to robbery affecting interstate commerce. He could face up to 20 years in prison and must pay restitution. His hearing is set for November 19.

Mestanza admitted that he and others tracked a Brink’s truck carrying jewelry after it left a jewelry exhibition in San Mateo on July 10, 2022. The group followed it about 300 miles, then broke its locks at a rest stop in Lebec the next day and took 24 bags of merchandise. Victims valued the stolen goods at about $100 million.

The group went to East Hollywood carrying the loot and later deactivated the phone numbers used to coordinate the theft. The truck had been carrying 73 bags of jewelry for 14 jewelers. Some of the victims suffered severe financial losses, and some left the industry.

Mestanza was one of seven men charged in the case and is the first to agree to a plea deal. He was arrested at an airport in Panama in 2025 while traveling from Guatemala to Ecuador. Three co-defendants are due to go to trial in March. Another defendant was deported to Ecuador while awaiting trial; prosecutors have said they hope to bring him to trial.

Mestanza also admitted to involvement in other cargo thefts in 2022, including the theft of more than $240,000 in Samsung electronics and more than $57,000 in Apple AirTags.