Colombian National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Nationwide Jewelry Theft Ring

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that YESENIA MELENDEZ RINCON, 41, a citizen of Colombia last residing in Kissimmee, Florida, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment for her involvement in an organized jewelry theft ring that targeted mall-based stores and kiosks across the country.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from May 2023 through April 2024, Melendez Rincon and several other Colombian nationals burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in malls and then transported the stolen property or the proceeds from it across state lines.  Melendez Rincon and her co-conspirators burglarized jewelry establishments at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, Connecticut, on October 5, 2023; in Lombard, Illinois on October 17, 2023; in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, on October 27, 2023; and in Henrico, Virginia on November 4, 2023.  The total losses from these burglaries exceed $1.33 million. 

Melendez Rincon typically cased the targeted business, served as a “lookout” during the burglaries, and she was involved in the sale of the stolen jewelry to others.

A photo taken in January 2024 and retrieved from Melendez Rincon’s iCloud account shows Melendez Rincon wearing a distinctive heart-shaped ring that was stolen during the Milford, Connecticut, burglary in October 2023.

The investigation revealed that Melendez Rincon’s co-conspirators also were involved in the theft of an additional $3.1 million in jewelry from establishments in Paterson, New Jersey, on May 17, 2023; in Mentor, Ohio, on July 21, 2023; in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on August 13, 2023; in Greece, New York, on September 20, 2023; and in Horseheads, New York, on April 18, 2024.  Members of the conspiracy also cased additional jewelry stores and kiosks in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Delaware.

To date, none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered by law enforcement.

Melendez Rincon was arrested on July 18, 2024.  On July 1, 2025, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

Melendez Rincon, who had been released pending sentencing, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of the sentencing.  She faces immigration proceedings when she completes her prison term.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI New Haven’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force with the assistance of the Milford (Conn.) Police Department, the Hamilton Township (N.J.) Police Division, the Delaware State Police, the Henrico County (Va.) Police Division, the New York State Police, the New York Police Department, the Pensacola (Fla.) Police Department, the Paterson (N.J.) Police Department, the Mentor (Ohio) Police Department, the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Police Department, the Greece (N.Y.) Police Department, and the Lombard (Ill.) Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Conor M. Reardon.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the FBI Field Offices in New York, Dallas, Miami, and Tampa for their assistance.