Miami Courant

Julian Flores and his mother, Lourdes Diaz, have pled guilty to charges related to an armed robbery involving $750,000 worth of gold jewelry in Hialeah, Florida. The incident occurred on September 16, 2023, when the victim was loading a suitcase of jewelry into a vehicle. Diaz reversed a white SUV rental while Flores emerged from the back seat wearing black clothing and a ski mask. Armed with a revolver, Flores attacked the victim and took the suitcase after firing a shot at the ground.

Flores was arrested on October 2, 2023, found wearing some of the stolen jewelry. Following his arrest, Diaz hid a safe containing more of the stolen items at an associate's residence. She was arrested near that location on October 3, 2023. Authorities recovered the remaining jewelry from the safe.

On November 22, 2024, U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian accepted Diaz’s guilty plea for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Flores entered his guilty plea for similar charges on November 26, 2024. Both face potential life imprisonment pending sentencing hearings.

The guilty pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida along with Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of ATF Miami Field Division and Chief George Fuente of Hialeah Police Department.

The case was investigated by ATF and Hialeah Police Department with Assistant U.S. Attorney Sterling M. Paulson prosecuting under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aiming to reduce gun violence through community collaboration.

Court documents are available under case number 23-cr-20472 on www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.