Miami man gets 57 months for role in $5M South Florida jewelry heists

The last member of a transnational Colombian robbery crew was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for his role in a string of jewelry robberies and thefts across South Florida that caused more than $5 million in losses, prosecutors said.

Leroy Ortega, 43, of Miami, known as “el Enano,” was sentenced to 57 months in prison, making him the final of 11 defendants to be sentenced as part of Operation Boujee Bandits, according to the Justice Department. The investigation targeted a South American theft group that operated in the Southern District of Florida and elsewhere, focusing on jewelry couriers and salespersons between September 2019 and July 2021, and included robbery and money laundering charges.

The crew’s method was methodical, according to court documents. Members would rent vehicles using fraudulent identification, stake out the International Jewelry Exchange and the Seybold Jewelry Building in Miami, then follow targets before striking — sometimes brandishing a knife-like weapon to ensure compliance.

Ortega admitted to participating in two robberies. During the first, on Oct. 16, 2019, he and co-defendant Allan Lucas mistakenly identified a professional photographer as a jewelry courier and followed him to a shopping center. Lucas shoved the victim while Ortega grabbed his case — which contained photography equipment and a computer, not jewelry. When the photographer chased the pair to their getaway car and tried to retrieve his belongings, Ortega reversed the vehicle, throwing the man to the ground and injuring him, according to court documents.

Less than a month later, on Nov. 7, 2019, Ortega and co-conspirators including Andres Barahona Poveda and Edwin Castillo targeted a jewelry salesman in Miami Beach, stealing approximately $125,000 in assorted jewelry. Ortega smashed the salesman’s car windows while an accomplice grabbed a backpack containing the goods. When the victim attempted to exit the vehicle, Ortega held the car door shut, trapping him inside, prosecutors said. Co-conspirator Carlos Morales rented the getaway vehicle using a fraudulent Venezuelan driver’s license, according to court documents.

Ortega pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery.

The heaviest sentence among the 11 defendants went to Lucas, who received 168 months in prison. Others sentenced included Giovanni Cardenas, who received 110 months; Edwin Castillo, 108 months; Diana Grisales Basto, 97 months; and Barahona Poveda, 87 months, prosecutors said.