4 charged in $250k jewelry vendor heist on Las Vegas Strip

Four people are accused of stealing a bag containing around $250,000 worth of diamonds from a jewelry vendor as he grabbed a drink at a Palazzo bar, according to police.

The Georgia man told the Metropolitan Police Department that he had traveled to Las Vegas with his wife to attend the Jewelers Circular Keystone show, which the event’s website calls “the world’s largest and most trusted jewelry industry trade event.”

On May 31, he had placed his bag between his feet while getting a drink with his colleague at Bar Luca, according to police documents. The bag contained 12 diamond engagement rings, three diamond pendants, $250 in cash and his car and house keys, the man said in an interview with officers.

Around 7 p.m., he looked down and his bag was gone, he told police. He added that his insurance policy dictated that he must carry the jewelry on his person at all times.

While the victim said he never noticed anything suspicious, surveillance footage viewed by police showed the four suspects — identified as Juan Parrado Mendez, David Parrado Mendez, Melany Millan Lopez and Leidy Grisales Suarez — seating themselves next to the jewelry vendor at the bar, police said.

The footage, according to police, showed David Parrado Mendez sliding the bag with his foot towards Juan Parrado Mendez, who he told police is his brother, who then secured the bag.

Juan Parrado Mendez’s wife, Suarez, then put her arm around him, concealing the bag with her own “large Christian Dior purse,” police said.

The fourth suspect, Melany Millan Lopez, had come to Vegas on her own for a David Guetta show but met the group at the nightclub Mango Tango, she told officers.

After police issued a “be on the lookout” announcement for the suspects, they were spotted back at the Palazzo the following evening. Lopez was wearing the victim’s wife’s lanyard for the trade show, police said. They were all taken into custody by Palazzo security.

When police asked where the contents of the bag were, David Parrado Mendez told them in an interview that he had gotten scared and thrown it away, authorities said.

All four suspects were charged with grand larceny in an amount greater than $100,000 and conspiracy to commit grand larceny. They were released by a judge on their own recognizance and orded back to court on July 10.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com.