LOS ANGELES—A Long Beach man pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to participating in the daytime smash-and-grab robbery of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in which nearly $2.7 million worth of merchandise was stolen—and he dropped his cell phone at the scene.
Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery—a federal Hobbs Act crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to his plea agreement, on March 23, 2022, Vernon committed a robbery of the Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills store. Vernon used heavy tools to smash the store’s display case while employees were present, causing trauma to people inside the store.
Vernon then removed jewelry and other items from the store display cases valued at nearly $2.7 million. The merchandise consisted of roughly 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings and 20 watches, court documents state.
After the robbery, Vernon and his accomplices ran out of the store, leaving behind their Kia vehicle—which had been reported stolen out of Long Beach four days before the robbery, documents show. During the heist, Vernon’s cell phone fell out of his pocket while he smashed the store’s window and was later recovered by law enforcement, according to an affidavit filed in L.A. federal court.
Two days after the robbery, one of Vernon’s accomplices posted on his Instagram account numerous photographs that included large stacks of money and a message praising his “robbery gang,” court documents state.
U.S. District Judge George H. Wu scheduled an Oct. 10 sentencing hearing, at which time Vernon will face up to 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.
As for Vernon’s co-defendants, Deshon Bell, 22, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty in December to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced in February to a year and a day in federal prison. Ladell Tharpe, 39, of Long Beach, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and faces an Oct. 8 trial date.
