A gang of Colombian migrants has been accused of pulling off a series of lucrative heists across several states, with some of the stolen goods allegedly being funneled to a jewelry dealer in Putnam Valley, New York. The group, known as the “South American Theft Group,” targeted traveling jewelry salespeople and stores in Florida, Georgia, California, and other states between September 2019 and August 2021.
Their most significant theft occurred in February 2020 when they allegedly stole up to $2.6 million in jewelry from a salesperson in Boynton Beach, Florida. In previous incidents, they reportedly made off with $730,000 in jewelry from a car in Boca Raton and $125,000 from a robbery in Miami Beach.
The stolen merchandise was allegedly sold to Mark Simon, a Westchester County resident, who paid rock-bottom prices in cash and frequently traveled to Florida to meet with the thieves in hotel rooms. Court records suggest that Simon paid a mere $16,000 for a portion of the $1 million in stolen jewels from a burglary in Dalton, Georgia.
Simon, 56, was arrested at his home in Jefferson Valley on charges of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and was released on a $50,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. It remains unclear whether any of the unidentified thieves have been apprehended or deported.
These South American Theft groups have been linked to various high-profile crimes across the country, including a robbery at the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, where $300,000 worth of luxury items were stolen. Another gang is suspected to have been involved in burglaries at the homes of Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
In a separate incident, six illegal migrants associated with a South American Theft Group used saws to break into a jewelry store on Long Island in November. After some of the suspects were released on bail, five of them managed to escape by cutting off their ankle monitors with the saws they had used in the burglary.
Simon’s lawyer, Jeffrey Chartier, has stated that his client is involved in both retail and wholesale jewelry sales, emphasizing that in the wholesale business, one seeks out the best prices for products. Chartier maintains Simon’s innocence in connection with the alleged trafficking of stolen goods.
