Trio Arrested in ‘Sophisticated’ Jewel Thefts

Three men have been arrested in what Los Angeles authorities called a “very sophisticated” jewel theft ring that included a holdup in San Diego, police said Friday.

The robbers used disguises, walkie-talkies and binoculars to follow jewelry couriers before robbing them of more than $1 million in gems, police said. The last and largest of five robberies occurred last month at a San Diego hotel.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested brothers Mark Dimasi, 22, and Phillip Dimasi, 19, last week at their home in Upland. Socrates Moore, 19, described as the “muscle” in the thefts, was arrested at his home in Pomona, Sheriff’s Sgt. Guido Gutierrez said.

The Dimasi brothers worked part-time as jewelers, enabling them to get on mailing lists for gem shows. They used these lists to find and track couriers.

In the getaway car, sheriff’s deputies found fake beards and mustaches, maps and schedules of jewelry shows. A bird mask, walkie-talkies and stun guns were found in the Dimasis’ apartment, Gutierrez said.

On Sept. 6, authorities say, the three men followed a jewelry courier from Glendale to a San Diego hotel, where they grabbed the courier’s bag when he entered the hotel. The bag, resembling a gym bag, was filled with about $1 million in loose diamonds and ring settings.

There was a scuffle, and Moore allegedly fired one round from a handgun through the heart of the courier. The man lived.

The three alleged robbers got in a car and drove to Victorville, where Moore was dropped off. The Dimasi brothers returned to their home in Upland.

The three men are also suspected in two robberies of couriers at the Glendale Galleria, and of thefts at the Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia and a mall in Orange County, Gutierrez said.

Three weeks after the San Diego robbery, an informant tipped off deputies stationed in La Crescenta Valley that the jewels from the San Diego heist had been sold to a jewelry store in Los Angeles.

After interviewing the store owner, the three men were identified and arrested at their homes.

The store owner, who Gutierrez said didn’t know the gems were stolen, returned 90% of the stolen jewelry and will turn over the rest, which he had resold, next week.

The three men are being held on $500,000 bail each in the Los Angeles County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and armed robbery.