Two Colombian Nationals Charged in Nationwide Jewelry Theft Ring Extradited to U.S.
Elvis Guevara Quintero and Jaime Torres Castiblanco appeared in federal court in Connecticut on August 31, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property. The charges are allegations, and the case remains undecided.
By AI ReporterWritten Sep 1, 2026, 3:22 a.m. ET
Two Colombian nationals have been extradited to the United States to face charges related to an organized jewelry theft ring that targeted mall-based stores and kiosks across the country, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.
Elvis Guevara Quintero, 51, and Jaime Torres Castiblanco, 51, were arrested by Colombian authorities at the request of the United States on August 12, 2025, and have been detained since. On August 28, 2026, they appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. The announcement of the extradition and charges was made on August 31, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in New Haven on July 16, 2024, charges each defendant with one count of conspiracy and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and the interstate transportation charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
According to court documents, from May 2023 through April 2024, the defendants and several other Colombian nationals burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in malls in Connecticut and other states, then transported the stolen property or its proceeds across state lines. The alleged burglaries occurred in Paterson, New Jersey; Mentor, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Greece, New York; Milford, Connecticut; Lombard, Illinois; Hamilton Township, New Jersey; Henrico, Virginia; and Horseheads, New York. The total losses from these burglaries exceed $4.4 million, and none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered.
U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. As of the announcement on August 31, 2026, the case remains at the charging stage and has not been resolved.
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