A group of suspects smashed the front window of a store on South Beverly Drive on March 22, 2022. (photo by Rance Collins)

A Long Beach man was sentenced on March 31 to seven years in federal prison for his role in a smash-and-grab robbery at a Beverly Hills jewelry store in 2022.

Ladell Tharpe, 39, was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu, who also ordered Tharpe to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution. Tharpe pleaded guilty last September to one count of interference with commerce by robbery.

“Brazen criminal action that directly targets our small businesses in Los Angeles County will not be tolerated,” Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally said. “The consequences for such action are severe and penalized accordingly, and I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their exceptional and dutiful work during this investigation.”

“The Beverly Hills Police Department is committed to protecting our community and ensuring justice,” Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said. “We value our partnership with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and appreciate the investigators who relentlessly pursued and prosecuted those responsible for this crime. As a reminder, crime will not be tolerated in Beverly Hills.”

Tharpe was among a group that robbed Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills at 203 S. Beverly Drive on March 22, 2022. Authorities said Tharpe and accomplices Deshon Bell, 22, Jimmy Lee Vernon, 33, both of Long Beach, as well as a minor whose name was not released, used sledgehammers and crow bars to break glass surrounding merchandise at the store while employees and customers were present.

The thieves stole at least 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings and 20 watches, all valued at approximately $2,674,600. The robbers returned to the car in which Bell was waiting and fled the scene. Another car used by the suspects, which was reported stolen four days before the robbery, was abandoned in front of the jewelry store.

Two days after the crime, Tharpe posted images of large amounts of cash on his Instagram account with the text “Robbery Gang,” authorities said. He has been in federal custody since March 2023.

Bell and Vernon each pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. Wu sentenced Bell to one year and one day in federal prison in February 2024. Vernon, whose cellphone fell out of his sweatpants pocket during the robbery and was recovered by investigators, was sentenced on Dec. 12, 2024, to six years and eight months in prison and was ordered to pay restitution.

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