A group of suspects smashed a front window on March 23, 2022, and stole a large amount of jewelry from the store. (photo by Rance Collins)

A Long Beach man was sentenced on Dec. 12 to six years and eight months in federal prison for a March 2022 smash-and-grab robbery at a jewelry store on South Beverly Drive.

United States District Judge George H. Wu sentenced the defendant, Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 33, and ordered Vernon to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution. Vernon pleaded guilty on Aug. 1 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery. He has been in federal custody since September 2022.

“This defendant took part in a blatant assault on a store operating in daylight hours, believing he could rob and intimidate others with impunity,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. “Now, he will serve a lengthy sentence in federal prison. Our office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate these sorts of brazen attacks on our community.”

Vernon was among a group that robbed Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills at 203 S. Beverly Drive on March 22, 2022. Vernon used tools to smash the store’s display case while employees were present, causing fear and injuring people inside the store, authorities said. Vernon removed jewelry and other items valued at $2,674,600 from store display cases. The merchandise consisted of approximately 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings and 20 watches, authorities said.

After the robbery, Vernon and his accomplices ran out of the store and left behind their vehicle – a Kia that had been reported stolen out of Long Beach four days before the robbery. During the crime, Vernon’s cellphone fell out of a pocket in his sweatpants as he smashed the jewelry store’s window. The cell phone was recovered by law enforcement officials.

Two days after the robbery, one of Vernon’s accomplices posted numerous photographs on his Instagram account that included large stacks of money and a message praising his “robbery gang,” according to court documents. Also charged for the crime were Deshon Bell, 22, of Long Beach, who pleaded guilty in December 2023 to one count of robbery and is serving a federal prison sentence of one year and one day. Ladell Tharpe, 39, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to one count of robbery is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6.

The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated the robbery.