Three Miami suspects charged with stealing millions in gems, jewelry in robbery spree
Three suspects in a Miami-based ring were charged with robbing millions of dollars’ worth of gems and other jewelry from sales people in a string of thefts across South Florida, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Two of the defendants, Allan Lucas and Diana Grisales Basto, are already in state custody on unrelated charges. They are scheduled to make their first appearances in Miami federal court on Friday. A third defendant, Carlos Morales, was recently arrested by FBI agents and local police. The court record does not list any defense attorneys for them.
All three are charged with conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery and related offenses affecting interstate commerce in a spree of jewelry store thefts in Miami Beach, Boca Raton, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach and Fort Pierce between 2019 and 2020. They’re accused of “forcefully taking and attempting to take jewelry and other property from victims engaged in the business of buying and selling jewelry,” according to the Justice Department.
Lucas, 30, of Miami, is charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and five counts of Hobbs Act robbery. Grisales Basto, 37, a Colombian national, is charged with the same conspiracy and four robbery offenses. Morales, 44, of Miami, is charged with the same conspiracy and one robbery count.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 2:50 PM.
