A Long Beach man has confessed to a $2.7 million robbery of a Beverly Hills jewelry store, breaking the store’s glass case and making off with dozens of earrings, necklaces, rings and watches.
Jimmy Lee Vernon III pleaded guilty to a federal charge of interference with commerce by theft (Hobbs Act), admitting in a plea agreement that he used heavy tools to break open the glass case — right in front of store employees in the middle of the afternoon. Prosecutors said he carried out the March 2022 robbery with two accomplices, one of whom has pleaded guilty and another who is awaiting trial.
Several people witnessed the robbery, which took place around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, according to police.
Wesley Aframian
“I saw the men hitting the windows with crowbars and sledgehammers,” said Wesley Aframian, one of the witnesses, adding that he saw one of the masked men carrying away a tray of watches.
In total, the robbers made off with 20 watches, 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, eight rings, four necklaces and a pair of obelisks from the Luxury Jewels retail chain, according to court documents.
Video shows them running away the jewelry store on South Beverly Drive in broad daylight. Police said they smashed the glass storefront with a sledgehammer at that point. An employee said she thought it was the sound of gunfire when she called the store owner to come over.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was sitting there and I just heard a bang,” Cindy Delaguerra said. “I thought it was a gun and I started calling Peter. And I started hitting the alarm, trying to call 911 and I looked up and I saw them with sledgehammers — grabbing everything.”
Kevin Sedghi, the owner of the boutique, told everyone inside to get on the ground because he also thought shots had been fired. He said he was just relieved no one was hurt.
“I’m just glad nobody got hurt. That’s all that matters,” Sedghi said. “My employees are like my family. So as long as nobody gets hurt, it’s fine.”
Vernon, 32, the other two men and a minor who could not be identified because of his age, were all arrested six months later.
According to court documents, they had made a number of crucial mistakes.
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First, according to an earlier statement, Vernon’s cell phone fell out of his pocket when he smashed the glass case, so law enforcement later found it abandoned in the store. And the suspects left a vehicle at the scene, a Kia that had been reported stolen out of Long Beach four days earlier, court documents state.
According to Beverly Hills police, the robbers left in a white Audi.
Two days after the robbery, one of the other two suspects posted several photos on Instagram showing large stacks of cash, along with a message praising his “robbery gang,” according to court documents.
Vernon faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 10. Prosecutors say he has been in custody since his arrest in September 2022.
Deshon Bell, his 22-year-old accomplice, pleaded guilty last December to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. The Long Beach man was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
Ladell Tharpe, a 39-year-old Long Beach man accused of being their third accomplice, has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set to begin Oct. 8.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department.
