An Atlanta man who orchestrated a 2013 jewelry robbery will serve five years and ten months in prison for his role in the crime, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Jose Vicente Ramirez-Rodriguez, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and the transportation of stolen property across state lines.
Prosecutors said that Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez followed a jewelry courier to a gas station and then contacted an accomplice to come meet him. The accomplice, along with three others, helped Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez in the holdup.
While the courier was filing up with gas, one of the defendants restrained him by threatening him with a knife, while another smashed open the car’s window and took a briefcase with more than $125,000 in jewelry.
The group was caught following an investigation by the FBI, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and local police.
Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez’s four accomplices were sentenced in October and will serve between five and 12 years in prison, the DOJ said.
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.