Three men from Florida have confessed to stealing jewelry and other valuables from homes in St. Louis County, including areas such as Ladue and Chesterfield. The stolen items are valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo, 33, and Jonathan Vejar-Caro, 33, entered guilty pleas on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Ovalle-Taibo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the transportation of stolen goods, while Vejar-Caro admitted to transporting stolen goods.
Henry Jose Ferreira-Perez, now 21, had previously pleaded guilty to transportation of stolen goods in December and has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment.
The three individuals acknowledged traveling on June 9, 2023, to St. Louis County with the intent of scouting potential burglary targets and acquiring tools for break-ins. That evening Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro stole luxury items valued over $330,000 from a home in Ladue which included jewelry, handbags, and watches. They then traveled to Illinois where they stayed at an Airbnb before returning to Florida to sell the stolen goods.
On June 16, 2023, Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro burglarized another home in unincorporated St. Louis County investigated by the Frontenac Police Department; they stole approximately $128,000 worth of primarily jewelry items. The following day they burglarized two homes in Chesterfield taking about $188,500 worth from one residence and $44,000 from another.
Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro are set for sentencing in October. All three men are illegally residing in the United States and face likely deportation upon release from prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI along with police departments from Ladue, Frontenac, and Chesterfield. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is leading the prosecution.
