Customers and employees were held at gunpoint and workers were beaten during a violent jewelry store robbery that netted nearly $4 million in gold and jewelry. One of the men involved has now been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.
On June 24, 2024, 22-year-old Jesus Lara del Toro and several others entered a jewelry store in Denver, Colorado, and carried out a violent armed robbery.
Employees and customers were held at gunpoint as several employees were beaten with firearms. Multiple people were injured during the attack.
The group escaped with nearly $4 million in gold and jewelry.
Federal prosecutors said Lara del Toro and the other defendants committed the robbery under the direction of international Tren de Aragua leadership.
Investigators later located the suspects in the El Paso, Texas, area. Surveillance footage from inside the jewelry store captured portions of the robbery, including the violent confrontation inside the business.
Lara del Toro, a Venezuelan national, ultimately pleaded guilty without a plea agreement to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Two other defendants, Jean Torres-Roman and Newman Castillo Delgado, were previously sentenced. A fourth defendant is scheduled to be sentenced later in 2026.
On August 17, 2026, Lara del Toro was sentenced to 216 months, or 18 years, in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution.
