NEW HAVEN, Conn — Seven people were federally charged in a nationwide jewelry theft ring that targeted Milford's Connecticut Post Mall among other businesses, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
A New Haven federal grand jury returned an indictment on July 16, charging the seven who were allegedly involved in the theft ring that targeted "mall-based stores and kiosks" across the U.S., the DOJ said.
Edixon Rincon Puentes, 44, formerly of Los Angeles; Harold Ramirez Cagua, 40, also known as "Gordo," of Miami, Fla.; Yesenia Melendez Rincon, 40, of Kissimmee, Fla.; and Jorge Giovanni Escobar Gonzalez, 40, of Kissimmee, Fla., are all facing charges of one count of conspiracy and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum term of five years in prison, while the latter charge carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison, the DOJ said.
Law enforcement is looking for three others whose identities have not been disclosed.
Citing court documents, the DOJ said that from May 2023 to April, the suspects burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in malls, and then brought the stolen items across state lines.
They allegedly targeted businesses at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford on Oct. 5, 2023; in Hamilton Township, N.J. on Oct. 27, 2023; in Henrico, Va. on Nov. 4, 2023; and in Horseheads, N.Y. on April 18. The DOJ said that the total losses from the burglaries exceed $1.28 million.
Those in the conspiracy also allegedly cased stores and kiosks in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Delaware.
Rincon Puentes, 44, was arrested in Queens, N.Y. on July 17 and is being detained, according to the DOJ.
On July 18, Ramirez Cagua and Melendez Rincon were arrested, with the former being detained and the latter released to home confinement with location monitoring, the DOJ said.
Escobar Gonzalez was previously detained on state charges and is now in federal custody.
The investigation by the FBI New Haven's Transnational Organized Crime Task Force is ongoing with assistance from the Milford Police Department, the Hamilton Township, N.J. Police Division, the Delaware State Police, the Henrico County, Va. Police Division, the New York State Police, the New York Police Department, and the Pensacola, Fla. Police Department.
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com.
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