ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A Colombian national has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for his role in a nationwide jewelry theft ring that included a burglary at a mall in Greece.
Jorge Giovanni Escobar Gonzalez, 41, was sentenced Thursday to 57 months in prison in Bridgeport, Connecticut, according to federal prosecutors. Escobar Gonzalez, who last lived in Kissimmee, Florida, pleaded guilty in April to interstate transportation of stolen property.
Prosecutors said Escobar Gonzalez and other Colombian nationals targeted mall-based jewelry stores and kiosks across the country between May 2023 and April 2024. The group burglarized stores in eight states, including a September 20, 2023, break-in at a jewelry establishment in Greece. Losses from the thefts exceeded $4.4 million, and none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered…