Federal authorities have charged two men visiting the US from South America with stealing a US$1 million wristwatch at a Beverly Hills restaurant, saying they were part of a “crime tourism” ring. The suspects allegedly stole the Patek Philippe at gunpoint from a man who was sitting with his wife and daughter at the patio restaurant of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on August 7. One suspect pointed a gun at the man while the other removed the watch – a 5711/113p-001 Emerald Nautilus – from his wrist before fleeing in a getaway car, according to documents filed on Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles.
Three days later, authorities said the police apprehended the suspects – Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 21, of Colombia, and Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, 19, of Venezuela – driving a different vehicle that had been linked to a previous armed robbery in Beverly Hills when a US$30,000 Rolex was stolen. An affidavit attached to the criminal complaint indicates the suspects belong to a South American Theft Group, designated transnational criminal organisations of citizens from countries such as Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. These groups commonly exploit the US immigration system and make fraudulent claims to enter the country, federal authorities said.
A spate of watch thefts has also plagued New York City in recent months. Some of those incidents have involved unidentified individuals placing men in chokeholds until they lose consciousness and then grabbing the v.