United States federal immigration authorities allowed a suspect in the country’s largest recorded jewellery heist to leave the country voluntarily, a move that enabled him to avoid trial and potential prison time.
Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was among seven individuals charged in connection with a $100 million jewellery theft at a rest stop north of Los Angeles in 2022.
According to investigators, the suspects targeted an armoured truck parked at the rest area and escaped with a haul that included luxury watches, emeralds, diamonds, gold, and rubies.
Prosecutors said Flores faced a possible 15-year prison sentence. However, immigration authorities approved his request for voluntary departure in December last year, a decision that surprised prosecutors handling the case.
Suspect in $100M jewel heist walks free — because he was deported https://t.co/ZGcxTkZJhC pic.twitter.com/UiMxrUZ2i9
— New York Post (@nypost) January 22, 2026Court filings show that Flores held lawful permanent resident status in the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him in September, after which he chose to pursue deportation.
A judge initially rejected the request. The court later issued a final removal order, and authorities deported Flores to Ecuador, despite earlier references to Chile in the proceedings.
ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why prosecutors were not notified before the deportation.
Former federal prosecutor Laurie Levenson criticised the handling of the case. She said immigration officials should not have allowed a suspect in a major criminal case to leave without coordination.
“This really was the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing,” Levenson said.
The incident has raised concerns about communication gaps between immigration enforcement and federal prosecutors in high-profile criminal cases.
