A Colombian national has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for his role in a series of jewelry store burglaries across the United States. Jorge Giovanni Escobar Gonzalez, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 57 months of imprisonment.
According to court documents and statements made during the proceedings, Escobar Gonzalez and several other Colombian nationals targeted mall-based jewelry stores and kiosks between May 2023 and April 2024. The group conducted surveillance before each burglary, with Escobar Gonzalez sometimes posing as a customer to assess merchandise and security measures. During the thefts, he often participated directly in breaking into stores while others acted as lookouts.
The group carried out burglaries at locations including Paterson, New Jersey; Mentor, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Greece, New York; Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, Connecticut; Lombard, Illinois; Hamilton Township, New Jersey; and Henrico, Virginia. Losses from these incidents exceeded $4.4 million. Authorities said that additional establishments were surveilled in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Delaware.
Law enforcement has not recovered any of the stolen jewelry.
Escobar Gonzalez pleaded guilty on April 9, 2025 to interstate transportation of stolen property. He has been detained since his arrest on May 19, 2024 in Florida on state charges related to another jewelry burglary.
The investigation was led by the FBI New Haven’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force with assistance from multiple local police departments across several states. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Conor M. Reardon are prosecuting the case.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut stated: "Jorge Giovanni Escobar Gonzalez...was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 57 months of imprisonment for his involvement in an organized jewelry theft ring that targeted mall-based stores and kiosks across the country."
Sullivan also thanked other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and FBI field offices for their support during the investigation.
