A mother and son have pleaded guilty to the violent armed robbery of $750,000 worth of jewelry from a Hialeah nail salon owner last year that was caught on camera.
Lourdes Diaz, 56, and Julian Flores, 25, had been arrested in the Sept. 16, 2023 robbery outside Champagne Nails at 7751 W. 28th Avenue.
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The salon's owner, Yunet Sanchez, who also sells jewelry at the business, was leaving with luggage containing a large amount of gold jewelry when she was violently robbed.
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Surveillance video showed Sanchez loading the luggage into her car when a man who was wearing all black with a facemask and gun in his hand approached.
He forcefully started pulling on the handle of the luggage, demanding Sanchez let go while hitting her hands with the gun, but when she wouldn't let go, he pistol-whipped her multiple times in the mouth and back of her head, an arrest report said.
At one point he also fired a round from the gun, causing her to let go of the luggage, the report said.
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Surveillance footage showed the suspect running to a getaway car, which was being driven by a second suspect, and they fled the scene.
The luggage contained around 1,300 pieces of jewelry worth over $750,000, police said.
Police later identified the robber as Flores, and said the getaway driver was his mother, Diaz.
Sanchez identified Diaz as a frequent customer of the salon who'd shown interest in purchasing jewelry but had never completed a purchase, the arrest report said.
Detectives later discovered that after the robbery, Flores posted a photo of himself on Instagram holding a gun and wearing a distinct gold ring that had been taken during the crime, the report said.
At the time of Flores' arrest, he was wearing gold jewelry from Sanchez's collection, prosecutors said.
And when Diaz was detained during a traffic stop, officers found she had two baggies containing gold necklaces that were consistent with the stolen jewelry, the report said.
Court records showed Diaz pleaded guilty in the case on Friday, while Flores pleaded guilty on Tuesday.
The mother and son agreed to plead guilty to federal charges including Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime.
Both face up to life in prison but under the plea deal, prosecutors are recommending a reduced sentence of 150 months in prison for Flores, court records showed.
They'll also recommend Diaz's discharging a firearm charge be dropped.
Sentencing hearings for both could be held as early as February.
