In 27 minutes, millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry vanished from a Brink’s tractor-trailer in Lebec, Calif., last year. The fallout from the heist has been ugly, with Brink’s Co. suing the victimized merchants, who then filed their own suit against the company. Bloomberg Businessweek partnered with Los Angeles Times reporters Daniel Miller and Richard Winton, who’ve covered the story, for an illustrated look at the crime. Here’s what we know about how it went down.
The Brink’s truck heist in Lebec has upended the tight-knit community of trade show jewelers. Its victims say the big rig burglary has left their businesses in shambles.
Jewelers at the International Gem and Jewelry Show on July 10 were warned of suspicious people loitering outside — hours before thieves hit a Brink’s truck in what might be one of the biggest jewel heists ever.
It took just 27 minutes to steal tens of millions in jewelry and gemstones from a Brink’s trailer in Lebec, Calif.
During a Brink’s theft that may be America’s biggest jewelry heist, one armed guard was sleeping and the other was getting food.
Video of a conversation between Brink’s drivers and sheriff’s deputies provides a new look at the initial response to the July 2022 crime, which victimized 14 jewelers.
The drivers of a Brink’s vehicle that was burglarized last July in Lebec, Calif., did not know how valuable their cargo was, legal records show.
A 298-mile drive in 2 hours and 4 minutes? The chronology described in a legal filing and law enforcement documents has added to the mystery surrounding the multimillion-dollar jewelry heist from a Brink’s truck.
Understanding the jewelry world’s black market may be key to tracing the whereabouts of a multimillion-dollar haul stolen from a Brink’s big rig.
