MIAMI, Florida — A Miami man has pleaded guilty for his involvement in a transnational robbery crew that targeted jewelry couriers, resulting in losses exceeding $5 million.
Leroy Ortega, also known as “El Enano,” 43, of Miami, was the last of 11 defendants indicted as part of Operation Boujee Bandits, an investigation into a Colombian South American Theft Group operating in the Southern District of Florida. The investigation, which spanned from September 2019 to July 2021, led to three indictments and charges of robberies and money laundering, according to a press release from the Justice Department.
“This transnational theft crew came to the United States to steal from American businesses and preyed upon unsuspecting, hard-working citizens who were just trying to do their jobs as jewelry couriers,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Leroy Ortega played an integral role with other already convicted defendants to execute sophisticated, high-value robberies that caused millions of dollars in losses.”…