Long Beach Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison for Daylight Smash and Grab Robbery of Beverly Hills Jewelry Store

LOS ANGELES - A Long Beach man was sentenced today to 80 months in federal prison for participating in the March 2022 daylight smash-and-grab robbery of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in which nearly $2.7 million worth of merchandise was stolen.

Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 33, was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu, who also ordered Vernon to pay $2,674,600 in restitution.

Vernon pleaded guilty on August 1 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). 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," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "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."

On March 22, 2022, Vernon committed a robbery of the Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills store. Vernon used heavy tools to smash the store's display case while employees were present, causing fear of injury to people inside the store.

Vernon then removed jewelry and other items from the store display cases valued at approximately $2,674,600. The merchandise consisted of approximately 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches.

After the robbery, Vernon and his accomplices ran out of the store, leaving behind their Kia vehicle - which had been reported stolen out of Long Beach four days before the robbery. During the robbery, Vernon's cellphone fell out of his sweatpants pocket while he smashed the jewelry store's window, was left behind and later recovered by law enforcement, according to an affidavit previously filed in this case.

Two days after the robbery, one of Vernon's accomplices posted on his Instagram account numerous photographs that included large stacks of money and a message praising his "robbery gang," according to court documents.

As for Vernon's co-defendants, Deshon Bell, 22, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and is serving a federal prison sentence of one year and one day. Ladell Tharpe, 39, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty on September 30 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and awaits a January 6, 2025, sentencing hearing.

The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Kevin B. Reidy of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.