A Long Beach man who served as the getaway driver for a smash-and-grab robbery at a Beverly Hills jewelry store was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
Ladell Tharpe, 39, who pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery in September, was also ordered to pay nearly $2.7 million in restitution, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
That figure aligns with the value of the merchandise stolen in 2022 when Tharpe and his accomplices, Deshon Bell, 22, Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 33, both from Long Beach, as well as an unnamed minor drove three vehicles to a jewelry store in Beverly Hills and used sledgehammers and crow bars to break the glass surrounding the merchandise while employees and customers were present,” the DOJ said.
Investigators listed the illicit haul as being “at least 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches.”
“Two days after the heist, Tharpe posted images of large amounts of cash on his Instagram with the text ‘Robbery Gang,'” the release said.
“Brazen criminal action that directly targets our small businesses in Los Angeles County will not be tolerated,” said acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “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.”
As for Tharpe’s accomplices, Bell and Tharpe both pleaded guilty to robbery and were each ordered to pay nearly $2.7 million in restitution.
Bell was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, while Vernon was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison.
