Millions of dollars worth of gems and jewelry were stolen from an armored Brink’s truck last week in Lancaster, California, authorities admitted on Sunday. But exactly how much was stolen is a matter still up for debate.
The heist happened early last Monday, July 11, according to the security company’s spokeswoman Dana Callahan. The precious items were loaded onto the truck the day before and were being moved from an exhibit hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show in San Mateo to another event in the Pasadena Convention Center northeast of Los Angeles.
One jeweler who claims to be a victim spoke to CBS Los Angeles and says the haul included one-of-a-kind pieces. Brandy Swanson, the manager of the International Gem and Jewelry Show says that there were 18 victims reporting losses in excess of $100 million total, but the security company disagrees.
“According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” Brink’s said in a statement. “We are working with law enforcement, and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract.”
The victims themselves told CBSLA that their losses may be as high as $150 million.
"It's their whole life," said Swanson "Some of these people are completely done at this point." She also said that around two dozen lockers, containing 25 to 30 bags of products, were stolen.
Lancaster is a desert city in northern Los Angeles County. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that it is working with local authorities but declined to provide more details to ABC News, one victim is frustrated with the lack of information and progress.
“They're returning, sometimes, our calls, but there's no information," the jeweler told CBSLA. "I don't know if it's under investigation. I don't know. I can't do anything right now."
Brinks has also been less than forthcoming with information. They neglected to provide answers to CBSLA’s questions about if the bags and lockers had tracking devices, if there were security cameras on the truck, or if the heist was a holdup or break-in.
Swanson says that a lot of the jewelry owners were mom-and-pop shops and that the reason for the discrepancy in the value of the goods stolen was that many of them cannot afford to fully insure their valuables before shipping them.
“They're devastated. Some of these people have lost their entire livelihoods,” Swanson said.