The shooting death of a would-be jewel robber in the parking lot of a Boca Raton gem store on Saint Andrews Boulevard in May 2008 has gotten local authorities involved in a complex, international jewelry theft ring.br /br /Police called a news conference last week asking for the public’s assistance in finding two would-be robbers who remain on the loose. Public Information Officer Sandra Boonenberg said that “as detectives delved further into the evidence, they discovered these thieves were part of an organized operation and several had family connections.”br /br /“This case has proven to be especially complicated,” she said, “because all the suspects involved had fraudulent documents and multiple aliases. Several had been previously deported from the United States for felony convictions and subsequently re-entered the country illegally.”br /br /The suspects wanted by Boca police are identified as Rodolfo Vargas-Londono, an American and Edwin Andres Zaragoza, a Columbian. A third suspect, Oscar Gonzales-Londono, was nabbed in Houston in November 2008. Boca detectives spoke to him at the Houston lockup, and Gonzales-Londono alleged implicated himself as one of the getaway car drivers in the Boca jewel heist.br /br /In Custodybr /br /Boonenberg said Gonzales-Londono is in custody in the Palm Beach County Jail on charges of second degree felony murder and robbery with a deadly weapon.br /br /During the news conference, Police Chief Dan Alexander said, “This is a fairly complex case,” and added, “We’re very satisfied that we were able to bring at least one of these suspects to justice.”br /br /As recounted by Boonenberg, jewelry couriers Leon Rozio and Timotea Garcia were visiting St. Moritz Jewelers at 21310 Saint Andrews Boulevard in May of 2008. Rozio remained in the driver’s seat of his car and a case containing close to $150,000 in jewelry was on the floorboard beside him. br /br /When Garcia went into the store and spoke with the manager, three males approached Rozio’s car and smashed out three of the windows, said Boonenberg. One of the suspects grabbed the jewelry case and all the suspects ran back to a waiting Saturn Vue. br /br /Rozio got out of his vehicle and chased the suspects who tried to flee in the Saturn. Rozio fired several shots from the gun he was carrying, striking and killing the driver.br /br /Boca police initially identified the dead driver as Juan Gonzalez. He had rented the car from an agency in Miami, and police found that his real name was Wilmar Andres Sierra-Perez, a Columbian national. The Columbian Consulate confirmed this information through fingerprints, police said. br /br /Boonenberg said the three other suspects got into a second waiting vehicle, a rented, white Chrysler Town Country minivan. It was later found unoccupied at the Town Center Mall. It had multiple bullet holes in it and contained property left by the suspects, police said.br /br /A man named Juan Bonell Fernandez had rented the van in Miami. Photograph identification and fingerprint evidence confirmed that Fernandez is an alias for Edwin Andres Zaragoza (which is also possibly an alias). Zaragoza, believed to be a Columbian national, has close to two dozen aliases, and has been arrested by multiple agencies across the country, said Boonenberg,br /br /Houston Connectionbr /br /In November 2008, Oscar Gonzalez-Londono, a Columbian national, came to the attention of Boca Raton Police detectives after Houston Police arrested him for illegal re-entry into the United States after deportation. Police said Gonzalez-Londono implicated himself as the driver of the third car, which was used to pick up the other suspects after they left the Chrysler minivan at the Town Center lot.br /br /Gonzalez-Londono also named Zaragoza as the driver of the minivan, said police.br /br /The third suspect was identified as Gonzalez-Londono’s cousin, known only as “Christian,” who was involved in the robbery. “Christian,” who had fraudulent documents identifying him as Martin Rodriguez, is actually Rodolfo Vargas-Londono, said police. br /br /Detectives said they believe Vargas-Londono was a passenger in the Saturn Vue, and possibly removed the jewelry case from Rozio’s vehicle. Vargas-Londono has active warrants for his arrest out of Houston and is a person of interest in the jewelry courier robbery.br /br /Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Edwin Andres Zaragoza or Rodolfo Vargas Londono is asked to call Boca Detective Juan Carlos Pijuan at (561) 338-1387 or Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-8477.br /
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