Colombian Guilty in $1M Beverly Wilshire Heist

Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, a Colombian national, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of interference with commerce by robbery in connection with a $1 million watch heist at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The robbery occurred on August 7, 2024, when Salazar, acting as the getaway driver, and his Venezuelan co-defendant, Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, targeted a British tourist dining with his family. Rojas held the victim at gunpoint to steal the valuable Patek Philippe watch. Both men are suspected members of a 'crime tourism' group operating in the U.S. Authorities discovered a handgun registered to notorious ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner at the suspects' Airbnb. Sepulveda faces sentencing and potential deportation, while Rojas awaits trial.