An 18-year-old US Marine, Marcelo Majeed Hernandez, was arrested in Texas for allegedly stealing over $500,000 worth of jewelry in two separate heists. The burglaries occurred at David Yurman Jewelry in Houston on October 13 and at Helzberg Diamond on April 5. Hernandez was identified as the suspect after a thorough investigation by authorities, leading to his arrest less than a week after the second heist. He was found with three handguns, $11,000 in cash, and $500,000 worth of stolen jewelry in his car during the arrest.
Deputies were able to locate Hernandez after identifying his car, a Mercedes-Benz GLA, on surveillance footage during the burglaries. They recovered most of the stolen jewelry and are working to locate the remaining pieces. During his arrest, his military dog tags fell out and he informed deputies that he had recently completed his boot camp in the Marine Corps. The US Marine Corps confirmed that they were aware of the allegations against Hernandez and were working with local authorities. Hernandez was not on active duty when the alleged crimes occurred.
Hernandez was a private first class reserve Marine with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment in Houston, though he was not in a drilling status at the time of the thefts. The USMC stated that they do not condone the behavior alleged in the incident. Hernandez was living with his parents in the Cypress neighborhood near where the heists took place. He was charged with two counts of first-degree felony theft and is currently in custody with a bond set at $500,000.
The first burglary involved the suspect smashing through the front door with a sledgehammer, stealing over 200 pieces of jewelry valued at over $380,000. During the second burglary, over $170,000 worth of jewelry was stolen. Hernandez was apprehended after authorities located him and his vehicle, which had stolen license plates. $500,000 worth of jewelry, including diamonds, was found in his car during the arrest. Deputies have recovered most of the stolen jewelry and are working to find the remaining pieces.
Hernandez’s arrest in Texas for the theft of over $500,000 worth of jewelry came less than a week after the second heist. The suspect was identified as a US Marine after a thorough investigation by authorities, and he was found with multiple handguns, cash, and stolen jewelry in his car. Hernandez was not in a drilling status with the US Marine Corps when the thefts occurred. Most of the stolen jewelry has been recovered, and Hernandez was charged with two counts of first-degree felony theft. He remains in custody with a $500,000 bond set.
