Two Found Guilty in Jeweler Robbery
Two men from the East Bay were found guilty in the $1.7 million robbery of Heller Jewelers. The verdict is a major development in the case involving the heist at the upscale store. Prosecutors have indicated that further legal proceedings are still to come as the investigation continues.
- The heist was a "takeover-style" robbery involving over two dozen masked individuals who used a stolen gray Honda to ram through the front of the Fremont jewelry store. - The suspects used hammers and other tools to smash display cases, stealing an estimated $1.7 million worth of jewelry before escaping in multiple vehicles. - One robber brandished a firearm at the security guard while another held the guard's arms and forced him to the ground. - Four suspects, Afatupetaiki Faasisila, Jose Herrada-Aragon, Andres Palestino, and Tom Parker Donegan, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of robbery affecting interstate commerce. - This robbery is part of a larger trend of large-scale, organized jewelry store robberies in the Bay Area, including a similar heist at Heller Jewelers in San Ramon in September 2025, which involved about 20 suspects and resulted in a loss of around $1 million. - That San Ramon robbery was the second time Heller Jewelers had been targeted in recent years; a previous armed robbery in March 2023 resulted in the theft of $1.1 million in watches and jewelry. - In the September 2025 San Ramon heist, suspects fired at least one shot through the front entrance to escape after a security door locked them inside. - Federal prosecutors have been involved in prosecuting these cases, with some suspects facing charges that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
