5 Charged In Connection To San Ramon Smash-And-Grab: Report

SAN RAMON, CA - East Bay prosecutors have filed robbery charges against five people suspected of robbing Heller Jewelers in San Ramon in March, according to a report from the Bay Area News Group.

Sunia Mafileo Faavesi, 30, Ryan Kentrell Montgomery, 35, Paul Christopher Tonga, 33, and Kyle Vehikite, 34, have been booked into Santa Rita Jail on no-bail federal holds, according to court records obtained by the Bay Area News Group. John Ioane Tupou, 30, has been charged but not arrested.

Evidence also suggests that Tonga was receiving insider information on the law enforcement investigation of them that came from an insider related to the investigation, according to federal investigators.

The robbery took place March 17 at 2:45 p.m. at Heller Jewelers at City Center Bishop Ranch, according to reports at the time. Witnesses told robbers they saw at least seven masked men run into the store. One pointed a gun at a security guard, while the others used hammers to smash display cases before running away.

See here for the full Bay Area News Group report. Patch has reached out to the Department of Justice for further information.