Arrests by Miami police are connected to a $1 million Patek Philippe watch that was taken in Beverly Hills
Federal investigators say that in mid-August, two individuals belonging to a “South American theft group” were taken into custody on suspicion of robbing a man of a $1 million Patek Philippe watch at gunpoint as he was having dinner at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles with his wife and daughters.
However, the diamond-encrusted watch moved swiftly, all the way to Miami across the country. In relation to the man’s armed robbery at the Beverly Hills hotel, Miami police have now detained three additional suspects, claiming they were attempting to fence the stolen watch in the Magic City.
According to an arrest affidavit, police received a tip last week that the watch that was taken from the man’s wrist during the robbery on August 7 “was going to be sold in Miami.”
According to an arrest complaint, this led investigators to the Miami apartment of Kerwin Campos, a 20-year-old Venezuelan with a criminal past who was “trying to sell the watch.” Authorities added that a rifle that had been reported stolen in St. Lucie County was also discovered in Campos’ flat.
Yeison Jose Bolivar, 25, who was connected to similar luxury watch thefts in Miami, New Jersey, and New York in addition to the Beverly Hills robbery, was one of two other suspects who were also detained last week, according to the police. Bolivar was accused of stealing a Miami guy on April 13 when he was out with his child in the 3500 block of Biscayne Boulevard of a $50,000 Patek Philippe watch.
Yiever A. Capote-Diaz, 26, a Venezuelan who was apprehended following a foot pursuit with Miami investigators, was also detained last week. Capote-Diaz was accused of openly carrying a weapon and violently confronting a police officer. According to the police, Diaz illegally owned a handgun.
The Homeland Security Investigations and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives units of Miami Police conducted the investigations. According to a top law enforcement official, it is unclear if the accused will face charges in state or federal court.
The federal agent stated, “We’re looking to see how to go forward with this case.” He added that the men detained in Miami and Los Angeles are believed to be members of the Tren de Aragua street gang from Venezuela, which has a well-known reputation in a number of major American cities.
“The world’s capital of stolen watches”
Knowing the Patek Philippe heist case well, South Florida private detective David Bolton stated that expensive watches like these frequently get stolen or wind up in Miami. Bolton declared, “Miami is the stolen watch capital of the world.” “Every watch that has been stolen is headed to Miami.”
The background to the Patek Philippe robbery is as follows, according to federal authorities:
According to a federal complaint affidavit, the robbery happened in the afternoon on August 7 when two males approached a guy who was eating at a Beverly Wilshire restaurant with his wife and twin girls and robbed him at gunpoint. One pulled a revolver on the victim, while the other removed the watch from his wrist.
“Theft happened in a matter of seconds,” the affidavit states. “Without resistance, [the victim] allowed [the suspect] to take the watch out of fear for his family’s lives.”
After that, the two made their way to a car parked on South Rodeo Drive.
The two suspects were thought to have been residing at an Airbnb, which was searched by Santa Monica and Beverly Hills police investigators three days after the heist. A firearm registered to Christopher Dorner, a former LAPD officer who killed four people while evading the law, was discovered during the search. 2013 saw him killed in a standoff.
Both were taken into custody by Riverside County, California, police.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles filed charges against 21-year-old Colombian Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar on one count of robbery interfering with commerce (Hobbs Act) and one count of having a handgun in support of violent crime.
The charge against 19-year-old Venezuelan Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas is one of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery.
In a previous heist in Beverly Hills on August 5, members of the same South American theft organization pulled up a victim at gunpoint and took a $30,000 Rolex, according to the affidavit, which the suspects were driving.
