PITTSBURGH (KDKA)–A Colombian national who’s allegedly part of a theft ring targeting traveling jewelry salesmen has been sentenced to prison after being extradited to Pittsburgh.
Oscar Javier Rodriguez Roa, 36, of Bogota, Columbia was sentenced to 33 months in prison by federal judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
According to the plea agreement, Roa, a national and citizen of Colombia, and several accomplices drove from Lawrenceville, Georgia to western Pennsylvania where they robbed a traveling jewelry salesman from New York City as he got out of his car in the parking lot of a Wexford jewelry store in May 2013.
Authorities say Roa smashed the rear driver’s side window of the salesman’s car with a garden tool, reached inside the car, and stole a black shoulder bag containing approximately $500,000 worth of gemstones and jewelry.
Forensic analysis revealed Roa’s fingerprints on the front passenger door of the getaway car and on a video game console found in the trunk of the car.
Customs records show that Roa, who is not a U.S. citizen, fled the United States a few days later by boarding a flight from Houston, Texas to Bogota, Colombia.
The investigation of this case was led by the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Division, with the assistance of the Northern Regional Police Department.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs helped secure the defendant’s extradition.
