Colombian migrant gang stole millions from Americans during cross-country jewel-heist spree: feds

A gang of Colombian migrants made off with millions of dollars worth of gems in heists in several states, funneling some of the booty to a Putnam Valley jewelry peddler who melted down and fenced the gold, federal prosecutors said this week. The “South American Theft Group” operated in Florida, Georgia, California and elsewhere targeting traveling jewelry salespeople, and stores, from September 2019 to August 2021, authorities said. Their biggest score came in February 2020, when they robbed as much as $2.6 million in merchandise from a traveling jewelry salesperson in Boynton Beach, FL, court records show. The year before,...