Five individuals have been arrested in connection with their
suspected involvement in a series of violent robberies against traveling
jewelry salesmen, one of which resulted in the death of the victim, announced
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s
Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas
and Special Agent in Charge Eric K. Jackson of the FBI’s Dallas Division.
“Thanks to the efforts of our prosecutors, the FBI and our
local and international partners, all five members of this alleged armed
robbery organization have been apprehended,” said Acting Assistant Attorney
General Blanco. “We thank our Colombian law enforcement partners for their
outstanding work. The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to working
vigorously with our partners at home and abroad to apprehend and bring this and
other armed robbery groups to justice.”
“I commend the extraordinary efforts of the FBI and our
local and international law enforcement partners in apprehending these brazenly
violent fugitives,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “This extremely dangerous group
of robbers is part of a larger organized South American theft group that has
targeted members of the jewelry industry across this nation for a number of
years. Our community is safer as a result of getting these people off our
streets.”
“This case is a testament to the exemplary work of the FBI’s
Violent Crime Task Force,” said Special Agent in Charge Jackson. “The agents on
our task force worked hand in hand with state, local and international partners
to relentlessly investigate these crimes and, ultimately, identify, locate and
apprehend these violent fugitives.”
Pedro Louis Alvarez, 32, of Honduras; and four Colombian
nationals, Johnnattan Ramirez, 35; Robert Riveros, 25; Eslevy Vargas-Avila, 27;
and Catherine Contreras-Beltran, 28, were charged in a federal superseding
indictment in October 2016 with one count of conspiracy to interfere with
commerce by robbery, two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and
related firearms charges. Ramirez, Alvarez and Riveros are also charged with
one additional count of interference with commerce by robbery and related
firearms charges. Alvarez was arrested in New York City by the FBI and the
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety on June 27,
2016. Contreras-Beltran, Vargas-Avila,
Ramirez and Riveros were all arrested in Colombia by the Colombian National
Police, between December 2016, and July 19.
The indictment alleges that on April 27, 2016, Ramirez,
Alvarez and Riveros robbed a traveling diamond and jewelry salesman at
gunpoint, taking the victim’s rolling case and a Nikon digital camera, among
other items, while Alvarez conducted surveillance. The indictment further
alleges that on June 2, 2016, and June 9, 2016, Ramirez, Alvarez, Riveros,
Vargas-Avila and Contreras-Beltran robbed two additional traveling diamond and
jewelry salesmen at gunpoint, taking from the first victim a bag containing,
among other items, a diamond scale and diamond gauge, and from the second
victim a case containing jewelry. According to the allegations, when the second
victim attempted to retrieve his case from Ramirez’s vehicle, Ramirez drove
away with the victim partially inside the vehicle, and Ramirez, Alvarez,
Riveros and Vargas-Avila then removed the victim from the vehicle and beat him,
which contributed to his to death.
An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and
the defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven
guilty.
The FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force, the Dallas Fort
Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety, Arlington Texas Police
Department and the Garland Texas Police Department investigated the case, with
assistance from the Colombian National Police. The case is being prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Robinson and Trial Attorney Joseph Wheatley of
the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
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