Three of the four members of a "sophisticated burglary crew" that was arrested last year for a multi-million dollar heist involving a Simi Valley jewelry store and coffee shop were sentenced to prison last week, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The heist happened back on May 25, 2025 at 5-Star Jewelry & Watch Repair and Dr. Conkey's Candy and Coffee Shop, which are next-door neighbors at a strip mall in the 2800 block of Cochran Street. The crew took more than $2 million in cash and stolen product from the jeweler after drilling through the wall of the candy shop. They gained entry by climbing through the roof over a bathroom behind the store and broke in through the back door.
"These guys were professional thieves. They had a plan; they must've cased us," said Jonathan Youssef, who owns the store with his father Jacob, at the time.
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The small hole burglars drilled in the side wall of the safe at Five Stars Jewelry and Repair in Simi Valley, through which business owners say they took nearly $2 million in stolen goods. CBS LA
Just two weeks later, all four members of the crew were arrested. Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said that they are all Chilean nationals who had alleged ties to a South American theft group.
"These were not teenagers burglarizing a local business to score quick cash," a statement from Nasarenko said when the crew was taken into custody. "Rather, they were sophisticated and skilled professionals who used counter-surveillance measures, a collapsible ladder, rope, and power tools to cut through a roof, tunnel through a wall, breach a safe – to take millions in watches, jewelry, cash and other merchandise."
Prosecutors shared a detailed look at the steps that the crew took in the days leading up to the burglary. They said that two of the suspects drove to a Home Depot store on May 16, when a rope was stolen to use during the crime. Days later, on May 20, three of the suspects in a white Volvo SUV drove to the targeted shopping center, where two members of the crew are said to have "conducted surveillance by observing the interior of the jewelry store through its front window."
The three suspects then went into the candy store, where they assessed surveillance cameras and inspected the shared wall between the businesses.
"One suspect used a cell phone flashlight to examine the walls, another acted as a lookout, and a third allegedly mimicked the use of a spray can, indicating plans to disable security measures," the DA's news release said.
The crew then returned to the businesses on May 25, where they used a ladder to climb onto the roof, which they then cut open to gain entry into Dr. Conkey's. Once they were inside, they spray-painted a security camera and stole cash from the store's safe.
"The defendants then cut through a shared wall into 5-Star Jewelry, where they broke into a safe and stole jewelry, cash, and silver," the release said. "The stolen property was later transported to a residence in Los Angeles County."
When serving a search warrant at a Canoga Park home last year, when the suspects were arrested, detectives recovered many of the stolen items. When they were taken into custody, Nasarenko noted that some of the crew members were "literally wearing the stolen jewelry" while others were "carrying the stolen merchandise" in bags.
Despite initially pleading not guilty to a list of charges last year, all four members of the crew pleaded guilty in January.
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From left to right: Manuel David Ibara, Camilo Antonio Aguilar Lara, Sergio Andres Mejia-Machuca, and Heidy Nickolt Trujillo. Ventura County District Attorney's Office
Manuel David Ibarra, 38, and Camilo Antonio Aguilar Lara, 27, were each sentenced to four years and four months in the Ventura County Jail, while Heidi Trujillo, 26, was sentenced to four years in jail. The fourth member of the crew, Sergio Andres Mejia-Machuca, 32, had his sentencing continued to March 26.
Ibarra, Lara and Mejia-Machuca each pled guilty to felony counts of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and possession of stolen property. Ibarra and Mejia-Machuca also pled guilty to conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and felony vandalism in connection with a separate burglary that happened just two days before the multi-million dollar heist, at Sim Valley Pawn Brokers. Trujillo also pled guilty to a single count of conspiracy to possess stolen property.
Each of the suspects also admitted special allegations, including excessive loss exceeding $1 million and theft or damage committed in concert with others, which were charged under Proposition 36, according to the DA's release, which also noted that the suspects admitted the "aggravating factor that the manner in which the crimes were carried out demonstrated planning, sophistication, and professionalism."