Man Sentenced In Massive Jewelry Theft Ring That Hit Milford Kiosk: Feds

MILFORD, CT — A man has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for his role in a nationwide jewelry theft ring, according to federal prosecutors.

One of the places the theft ring targeted was a jewelry kiosk at the Connecticut Post Mall.

Subscribe

Harold Ramirez Cagua, aka "Gordo," 42, a citizen of Colombia living in Miami, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stole property in March 2025.

Court records say the theft ring targeted mall jewelry stores and kiosks between May 2023 and April 2024. The burglaries took place in several states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia. Losses from the thefts totaled more than $4.4 million.

Ramirez Cagua and his co-conspirators took the stolen property across state lines, according to prosecutors. Before the burglaries, the group surveilled the jewelry stores and kiosks to formulate game plans, including posing as legitimate customers to evaluate each store's merchandise and security measures.

"Ramirez Cagua served as the crime ring's logistics operative, booking flights for co-conspirators to travel for the burglaries, securing rental cars, and reserving lodging," prosecutors said. "During the burglaries, he and his associates forced his way into closed businesses, sometimes by cutting a hole through a wall, and then pried open and smashed locked display cases. They then carted off the stolen merchandise."

To date, none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered by law enforcement. An investigation found that much of the stolen jewelry was sold to the owner of a Queens, New York jewelry store, who then sold it to others, including those he knew would melt down the gold.