The criminals entered 5-Star Jewelry and Repair in California by drilling through a wall from a neighbouring store in May of last year, stealing $USD2 million in merchandise.
Despite making efforts to conceal their identities, including spray painting security cameras, investigators obtained videos showing the crooks looting the store, displaying stolen jewellery, and trying to open a safe.
After fleeing the store, the individuals recorded themselves as they counted and sorted new and heirloom jewellery. This footage led to the convictions of all four individuals. Owner Jonathan Youssef told reporters of the personal impact the theft had on his customers.
"The worst part about the loss of property that we had was the customers that we built up over that same period trust us with their heirloom jewellery to repair," he said.
"Unfortunately, some of that jewellery, all of that jewellery was stolen."
The crime unfolded over three hours, and a GoFundMe page was established to support the owners. Despite the convictions, none of the stolen jewellery has been recovered.
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