A burglary crew consisting of four Chilean nationals, three of whom were recently sentenced, took video of themselves breaking into a Southern California jewelry store and going through the stolen goods, officials revealed.
The footage, posted by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, shows the four perpetrators “documenting their own crime.”
One of them even flashed a peace sign at the camera with a flashlight in his mouth while taking a break from smashing the wall with a crowbar.
“The video…was recorded by the defendants on their own cell phone, showing them breaking into the safe and later at their L.A. County apartment going through the stolen property and sorting it,” the DA’s Office said on social media.
One of them even flashed a peace sign at the camera with a flashlight in his mouth while taking a break from smashing the wall with a crowbar. (IG/@venturacountyda)
The break-in occurred at 5 Star Jewelry and Watch Repair in Simi Valley on May 25.
KTLA spoke with the store owner, Jonathan Youssef, shortly after the incident, and he said his family-owned business was devastated by the burglary, where cash and jewels were stolen.
It was later revealed by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office that the four suspects – 25-year-old Heidy Nickolt Trujilo, 31-year-old Camilo Antonio Aguilar Lara, 27-year-old Sergio Andres Mejía-Machuca and 37-year-old Manuel David Ibarra – had canvassed the area previously, entering Dr. Conkey’s Candy and Coffee, an establishment adjacent to 5 Star Jewelry and Watch.
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According to the DA’s Office, Trujillo, Lara, Mejía-Machuca and Ibarra peered through windows and looked for surveillance cameras, also inspecting the wall that adjoins the jewelry store. Five days later, they returned with a ladder, rope and tools that were used to break in to Dr. Conkey’s and gain access to 5 Star Jewelry and Watch.
One suspect also spray painted a security camera in an attempt to cover it up.
A thief crawls on his stomach to avoid motion detection sensors while robbing an adjacent jewelry store in Simi Valley. May 25, 2025.
Jonathan Youssef points to a hole that was drilled by thieves who ransacked his jewelry store in Simi Valley on May 25, 2025.
The Chilean burglary crew is accused of stealing over $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and valuables from a Simi Valley jewelry store on May 25, 2025. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
The Chilean burglary crew is accused of stealing over $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and valuables from a Simi Valley jewelry store on May 25, 2025. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
The Chilean burglary crew is accused of stealing over $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and valuables from a Simi Valley jewelry store on May 25, 2025. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
The Chilean burglary crew is accused of stealing over $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and valuables from a Simi Valley jewelry store on May 25, 2025. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
The Chilean burglary crew is accused of stealing over $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and valuables from a Simi Valley jewelry store on May 25, 2025. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
5 Star Jewelry & Watch repair and Dr. Conkey’s Candy and Coffee shop in Simi Valley. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
After ransacking the store, the group was able to escape with about $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and other valuables. The DA’s Office explained that they took the stolen goods to a home in L.A. County before being found and arrested on June 10. Some of the suspects were reportedly wearing some of the stolen property when they were taken into custody.
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All four were charged with a slew of crimes, including felony counts of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and possession of stolen property.
They all pleaded guilty in January; Ibarra and Lara were each sentenced to four years and four months in jail, and Trujillo got a four-year sentence.
The suspects, from left: Sergio Andres Mejía-Machuca, 27; Heidy Nickolt Trujillo, 25; Camilo Antonio Aguliar Lara, 31; and Manuel David Ibarra, 37. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
Mejía-Machuca’s sentencing hearing was continued to March 26.
“The planning, surveillance, and sophistication involved in this case required the defendants’ removal from society,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “Ventura County will not tolerate organized burglary crews that treat our communities like targets.”
“If you engage in this kind of conduct, you will face significant consequences,” Nasarenko concluded.
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