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Miami, FL--A federal grand jury in Miami returned a six-count indictment on June 29, which was unsealed today, charging three individuals with robbing jewelry salespeople of millions of dollars’ worth of gems, other jewelry, and property.

[Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA via Pexels]

According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice, Allan Lucas, Diana Grisales Basto, and Carlos Morales are charged with conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery and multiple counts of Hobbs Act robbery for forcefully taking and attempting to take jewelry and other property from victims engaged in the business of buying and selling jewelry throughout South Florida, between September 2019 and December 2020. 

Court documents in the case reveal that the charged robberies occurred in Boca Raton, Miami Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, and Fort Pierce.

Lucas, 30, of Miami, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and five counts of Hobbs Act robbery. 

Grisales Basto, 37, a Colombian national, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and four counts of Hobbs Act robbery. 

Morales, 44, of Miami, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and one count of Hobbs Act robbery.

Lucas and Grisales Basto were already in state custody and scheduled to make their initial appearance on Friday, July 8th. Morales was arrested on July 2nd. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 

Read more in the entire press release.