VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — Four people have pleaded guilty in connection with a multi-million dollar burglary at a Ventura County jewelry store and an adjacent coffee shop, prosecutors announced.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Manuel David Ibarra, Sergio Andres Meji-Machuca, Camilo Antonio Aguliar Lara, and Heidy Nickolt Trujillo admitted to charges stemming from the May heist, which resulted in more than $2 million in stolen cash, jewelry, and silver from 5-Star Jewelry and Dr. Conkey’s Candy and Coffee Shop.
The defendants also acknowledged special enhancements tied to the crime, including premeditation and causing losses exceeding $1 million. Ibarra and Meji-Machuca additionally pleaded guilty to a prior burglary at Simi Valley Pawn Brokers.
“This was not a crime of opportunity,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said. “These defendants planned carefully, conducted surveillance, and used specialized tools and techniques to carry out a highly sophisticated burglary that caused enormous financial harm. Their guilty pleas ensure accountability and reflect the strength of the evidence in this case.”
Investigators said the suspects surveilled the locations days before the robbery. Five days after initial surveillance, the crew cut through the coffee shop’s roof, spray-painted a security camera, and broke into the cafe’s safe. They then accessed the jewelry store by cutting a hole through a shared wall, stealing jewelry, cash, and silver.
The four defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20 at 9 a.m., with each facing more than four years in prison.
