Driver in $2.7m Jewel Raid Posted Instagram Pictures
October 07, 24
(IDEX Online) - The getaway driver in a $2.7m smash and grab has pleaded guilty to robbing a Beverly Hills jewelry store - after posting incriminating pictures on Instagram.
Ladell Tharpe, 39, posted images of stacks of cash, and captioned them "Robbery Gang."
He pleaded guilty at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, USA, to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and faces a statutory maximum term of 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in January 2025. Tharpe has been in federal custody since March 2023.
Tharpe, from Long Beach, California, acted as lookout and drove a getaway car after fellow gang members used sledgehammers to smash display cases at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills.
They stole at least 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches, valued in total at $2,674,600, according to the Department of Justice.
Pic of store interior, courtesy Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills.