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The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York on Aug. 4, states that ahead of the robbery, “Per Department of Transportation regulations, Driver 1 left Driver 2 asleep in the truck and went into the Flying J for food.”
Brink’s also says they have “good reason to believe that the Defendants, many of whom shipped the missing 22 bags, substantially under-declared the value of their shipments on the Pickup Manifest,” which Brink’s says “declare(s) a total value of $8,700,000.”
Defendants — including Arat Jewelry Corp., El Dorado Jewelry, Inc., Forty-Seventh & Fifth and Supreme Collection Corporation — did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. Additional defendants on the suit did not have contact information readily available at press time.
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FBI via AP
Dana Callahan, a spokesperson for Brink’s, said the robbery took place on July 11 near Los Angeles, reportedCBSon July 17.
“According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” Brink’s said in a statement, reported theNew York Times. “We are working with law enforcement, and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract.”
Despite this, the robbery – whichThe Timesreported included numerous gold and diamond necklaces – is going to hit some of the 18 vendors robbed hard. Many had built their inventory for over 40 years, added CBS.
The Flying J Travel Center, which is just off Interstate 5 in Lebec, was the site of a Brink’s big rig heist in July.Google Maps
“It’s their whole life,” Brandy Swanson, International Gem and Jewelry Show manager, told the outlet. “Some of these people are completely done at this point.”
Sadly, many of the jewels are unlikely to be fully insured because of the cost of the premiums, Swanson added.
“That’s where the discrepancy comes in,” Swanson continued. “These are mom-and-pop operators. They’re devastated. Some of these people havelost their entire livelihoods.”
A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed toThe Timesthat it was working with local authorities to locate the robbers involved.
source: people.com
