A Colombian illegal immigrant pleaded guilty on Monday (17th) to helping rob a man in Beverly Hills, admitting to holding the man at gunpoint and stealing a $1 million watch from him while he was dining with his wife and five-year-old twin daughters on the terrace of a local hotel restaurant.
The 22-year-old Colombian man, Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, admitted on Monday to a charge of “disturbing the commercial order by robbery.” His crime violated the federal Hobbs Act because it occurred near a major roadway.
Salazar has been in federal custody since August of last year. He and a 20-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, were indicted on August 13th.
According to court documents, on the evening of August 7, 2023, around 6:40 p.m., one of the robbers held the victim at gunpoint while dining with his family at “THE Blvd” restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, seemingly preparing to chamber a bullet, while the other robber took a silver Patek Philippe Nautilus watch valued at $1 million from the victim’s wrist.
Thomas Ferguson, a federal deportation officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said the victim “chose not to resist out of concern for the safety of himself and his family,” allowing the robbers to take the watch.
Authorities stated that surveillance footage showed the terrace robbery lasted only a few seconds before the two robbers fled the scene in a Toyota Corolla, which was later found at an Airbnb residence on August 10th.
Salazar signed a plea agreement, admitting he was responsible for driving the getaway vehicle in the robbery.
During the search of the Airbnb residence, multiple firearms were discovered, including a Glock .45 handgun loaded with 12 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. The gun was registered under the name of the deceased former Los Angeles police officer, Christopher Dorner, who committed a series of murders and died in a standoff with law enforcement in February 2013.
The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, was forced to suspend services and waived charges for fleeing guests at the time of the robbery.
Court documents indicate that the victim has already submitted a full insurance claim for the stolen watch.
Prosecutors stated that Salazar’s co-defendant Rojas was accused of conducting reconnaissance in the area two days before the robbery. He allegedly also robbed another pedestrian in Beverly Hills by pointing a gun at the victim and stealing a $30,000 Rolex watch while scouting the restaurant.
Salazar is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on July 14th and faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. Criminal charges against Rojas are still pending.