A man implicated in one of the largest jewelry heists in the United States has seemingly managed to escape punishment due to the involvement of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
The US Department of Justice charged Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores and six others last year, accusing them of stealing an astonishing $100 million worth of gold and luxury jewelry from a Brinks truck in Southern California in July 2022.
Flores appeared in court in June 2025, nearly three years after the alleged crime, and entered a plea of not guilty.
The charges carried a potential 15-year prison sentence for Flores if convicted. However, records indicate that in September, he was transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a detainer after being released on bond.
ICE documents disclosed that Flores was a legal permanent resident of the United States, but as reported by the Los Angeles Times, he was deported to Ecuador in late December 2025.
The court findings noted: “Unbeknownst to the prosecutors, defendant was taken into immigration custody. There, he faced two options: (1) assert his lawful permanent residence status, fight his criminal case, and face a potentially lengthy criminal sentence only to possibly be deported after his release; or (2) waive his immigration rights, functionally self-deport, and avoid criminal exposure altogether. He chose the latter.”
Jerry Kroll, representing some of the jewelry victims, expressed to the LA Times: “When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, victims are left without answers, without a verdict, and without closure.
“For our clients — jewelers who lost their life’s work — this outcome exposes a gap in the system that deserves transparency.
“They are entitled to clear answers about how this happened and whether safeguards exist to prevent it from happening again.”
Records show that Flores appeared in court on December 16, where he reportedly confessed to the allegations against him.
During the immigration hearing, where Flores represented himself, he petitioned for a voluntary departure from the US.
In discussions with various media outlets, including the Independent, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated: “Jeson Nelson Presilla Flores is a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador whose criminal history includes sexual battery, threatening with intent to terrorize burglary, vandalism, robbery, and more.”
Earlier in the month, a motion to dismiss the case, submitted by his attorney, John D. Robertson, was reportedly approved, preventing prosecutors from refiling the same charges against him in the future.