Milford Mall Hit In Nationwide $4.4M Jewelry Theft Spree, 2 Men Extradited From Colombia: Feds

Elvis Guevara Quintero and Jaime Torres Castiblanco, both 51, pleaded not guilty in Hartford on Friday, Aug. 28. Colombian authorities arrested them at the United States’ request on Aug. 12, 2025.

Federal prosecutors said the theft ring ran from May 2023 through April 2024. The group allegedly hit nine jewelry stores and kiosks in seven states.

That included a burglary at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford on Oct. 5, 2023.

The group watched stores before each break-in, court records allege. Members posed as customers to study the jewelry and security systems.

They later forced their way into closed businesses, prosecutors said. In some cases, they cut through walls. They pried open or smashed display cases before hauling away the jewelry.

The burglaries caused more than $4.4 million in losses. Law enforcement has not recovered any of the stolen jewelry.

Investigators said much of it went to a Queens jewelry store owner. He then sold it to others, including people he knew would melt down the gold.

A New Haven federal grand jury indicted Guevara Quintero, Torres Castiblanco and others on July 16, 2024.

Each man faces one conspiracy count and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. The conspiracy charge carries up to five years in prison. The stolen-property charge carries up to 10 years.

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