Colombian Man Illegally in the United States Pleads Guilty to Participating in Armed Robbery at Hotel in Beverly Hills Last Year

LOS ANGELES – An illegal alien from Colombia pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for participating in the armed robbery of a victim at a Beverly Hills hotel and belonging to a robbery crew that possessed a firearm once registered to the late former Los Angeles Police Officer Christopher Dorner.

Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). Sepulveda has been in federal custody since August 2024.

According to his plea agreement, Sepulveda was the getaway driver during the August 7, 2024, armed robbery of a victim identified in court documents as “T.A.” On that date during dinnertime, two unidentified robbers held the victim at gunpoint inside the patio of “THE Blvd,” a restaurant located within the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The robbers stole a Patek Philippe Nautilus wristwatch from T.A. at gunpoint. T.A. reported that his watch was valued at approximately $1 million. 

Sepulveda and his co-defendant, Jesus Eduardo Bryan Padron Rojas, 20, an illegal alien from Venezuela, cased the area two day before the robbery trying to find T.A.’s watch, which they and their co-conspirators valued at $1.3 million.

The crew coincidentally stumbled upon another victim walking in Beverly Hills wearing a $30,000 Rolex wristwatch. A member of Sepulveda’s crew stole that wristwatch at gunpoint.

During this time, the robbery crew stayed at an Airbnb and possessed multiple firearms, including a Glock .45-caliber handgun loaded with 12 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition. The gun previously was registered to Dorner, known for committing a series of murders before dying in a standoff with law enforcement in February 2013. 

United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II scheduled a July 14 sentencing hearing, at which time Sepulveda will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. 

Criminal charges are still pending against Padron.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Beverly Hills Police Department, and the Blythe (California) Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this matter.