Three men from Florida have admitted to stealing jewelry and other valuables worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from homes in St. Louis County, Missouri. The crimes occurred in areas including Ladue and Chesterfield.
Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo, 33, and Jonathan Vejar-Caro, 33, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Ovalle-Taibo admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit the transportation of stolen goods, while Vejar-Caro pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of stolen goods.
Henry Jose Ferreira-Perez, now 21, had already pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of stolen goods in December and has been sentenced to 14 months in prison.
The three men traveled on June 9, 2023, to St. Louis County where they scouted potential burglary targets and purchased tools for home break-ins. That evening Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro stole luxury items worth over $330,000 from a home in Ladue. The haul included jewelry, handbags, and watches. They then drove to Illinois and stayed at an Airbnb before returning to Florida with the intention of selling the stolen goods.
On June 16, 2023, Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro burglarized a home in unincorporated St. Louis County—a crime investigated by the Frontenac Police Department—stealing approximately $128,000 worth of items mainly consisting of jewelry. The following day they burglarized two homes in Chesterfield: one netted them about $188,500 worth of items; the other about $44,000.
Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro are set for sentencing in October. All three men are illegally residing in the United States and face likely deportation after serving their prison sentences.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI along with police departments from Ladue, Frontenac, and Chesterfield. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is handling the prosecution.
