GREECE, N.Y. — A citizen of Colombia was sentenced to nearly five years in prison Thursday for his involvement in a $4.4 million jewelry theft ring that targeted kiosks and stores in the mall across the country, including Greece Ridge Mall.
According to court documents, on the morning of Sept. 20, 2023, Jorge Giovanni Escobar Gonzalez worked with about six other people to burglarize a jewelry kiosk at the mall in Greece.
Police reports claim the suspects went to the mall in three separate cars, with at least one of the cars having a switched license plate.
The court documents say two men went to the kiosk to steal jewelry, while two other men were nearby to get the stolen jewelry. The documents also noted that one of the men acted as a lookout, and someone else was the getaway driver.
From May 2023 through April 2024, prosecutors say Escobar Gonzalez worked with others to steal jewelry worth over $4.4 million from places in nearly seven different states.
Prosecutors say Escobar Gonzalez and the people he worked with looked at the stores and kiosks to form a plan, with Escobar Gonzalez even posing as a customer to see the store’s merchandise and security measures.
Escobar Gonzalez pleaded guilty on April 9 to interstate transportation of stolen property. He had been detained since May 19, 2024, when he was arrested in Florida on state charges related to another jewelry burglary.
See photos included in the court documents of the suspects:
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