Seven California men charged in 'largest jewellery heist' in US history

One of the rings stolen in the heist

Seven men from California have been charged in the "largest jewellery heist in US history", involving the theft of $100m (£75m) worth of gold, gems, and luxury watches.

The heist has been a mystery in California for nearly three years after a Brinks company truck transporting the jewellery was robbed at a remote stop as one driver slept inside, and another was having a meal.

The suspects tracked the truck as it left a jewellery show near San Francisco with 73 bags, officials said. The next morning, they stole 24 bags when the truck was at a rest stop in Lebec, California, according to court documents.

The indictment does not say how they gained access to the truck.

Announcing the charges on Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that one of the suspects scouted a jewellery show near San Francisco for several days in 2022 and then robbed the truck with his accomplices in the early hours of 11 July.

A copy of the indictment says the defendants watched as a Brinks truck was loaded with jewels and then followed the truck for approximately 300 miles (485 km) from San Mateo to Lebec, California.

While the truck was parked at a stop in Lebec, the suspects allegedly stole 24 bags containing about $100m in jewellery, the court document says.

Officials said the robbers did not use any weapons during the heist. The robbery was discovered when the driver returned to the vehicle and saw that the exterior padlock was missing. Authorities believe it was sawed off.

The truck was on its way to another jewellery show in Pasadena, California. Some of the jewels were recovered during the execution of search warrants on 16 June, according to a DOJ statement.

Jerry Kroll, an attorney who represents some of the jewellers whose merchandise was stolen, told the BBC he did not know how much had been recovered.

"Most of my clients are senior citizens," he said. "Some of them are 85 years old. This is really serious. If there is something there for any of these clients, we'd be very grateful."

It is not clear if the suspects have lawyers to speak on their behalf.

The truck stop outside Los Angeles were the heist occurred