Julian Flores, 25, and his mother, Lourdes Diaz, 56, both of Naples, Florida, pled guilty to charges related to an armed robbery of $750,000 worth of gold jewelry in Hialeah, Florida, on November 26, 2024. The robbery occurred on September 16, 2023, when the victim, a business owner, was loading a suitcase of jewelry into his vehicle in a commercial parking lot.
According to court records, Diaz backed a white rental SUV into the parking lot, and Flores, dressed in black clothing and a ski mask, exited the vehicle brandishing a revolver. He demanded the suitcase from the victim, who resisted, causing Flores to strike the victim several times with the firearm. Flores then fired a shot to the ground before seizing the suitcase and fleeing with Diaz.
Flores was arrested on October 2, 2023, while wearing jewelry from the stolen collection. Diaz was later apprehended on October 3, 2023, after hiding a black safe containing the stolen jewelry at the residence of one of Flores’s associates. Law enforcement recovered the remaining stolen items during a search.
Both Flores and Diaz pled guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and firearm charges. They face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled. The case was investigated by ATF and the Hialeah Police Department, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sterling M. Paulson.
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