(A catastrophic communication breakdown between federal prosecutors and immigration authorities has allowed a key suspect in the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history to flee the country, potentially evading justice forever.)
The pursuit of justice for the infamous 2022 Brink’s armored truck heist hit a wall of federal incompetence this week. Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, one of seven men accused of stalking and looting $100 million in diamonds, emeralds, and luxury watches, has successfully “self-deported” to South America. In a move that has stunned the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processed Flores’ request for voluntary departure in late December, unaware—or unconcerned—that he was facing 15 years in federal prison.
The failure is a classic case of the “left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.” Despite Flores being a lawful permanent resident released on bail, he was taken into ICE custody in September 2025 on a detainer that prosecutors claim they never knew existed. Faced with a lengthy trial or a one-way ticket out of the U.S., Flores chose the latter. He admitted to the immigration allegations and was quietly removed to Ecuador, leaving victims and jewelry companies without a verdict. “It is just beyond me how they would deport him without the prosecutors being in on the conversation,” said former federal prosecutor Laurie Levenson.
The legal fallout is already escalating. Flores’ attorney, John D. Robertson, has filed a motion to permanently dismiss all charges, arguing that the government violated his client’s right to a fair and speedy trial by physically removing him from the jurisdiction. While federal prosecutors are desperately fighting to keep the charges active “without prejudice” in case Flores ever returns, the reality is stark: the man believed to have helped orchestrate a $100 million robbery is now a free man abroad, thanks to a bureaucratic loophole.
