Fact check: Did ICE accidentally deport prime suspect in the largest jewel heist in US history?
WASHINGTON, DC: The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has surged the deportation of illegal aliens during President Donald Trump's second term. The POTUS has invoked rarely used laws and launched aggressive immigration enforcement in several US cities.
Recently, a rumor circulated online claiming that ICE accidentally deported a man who was a prime suspect in the largest jewel heist in US history. But is there any truth to this rumor? Let us find out below.
Claim: ICE accidentally deported prime suspect of largest jewel heist in US history
Several X accounts made a claim online that the ICE accidentally deported a man who was a prime suspect in the largest jewel heist in US history.
An X user wrote, "ICE accidentally deported a man who was a prime suspect in the largest jewel heist in U.S. history. He was up for trial but volunteered to be deported after being detained by ICE, avoiding criminal charges for a $100 million heist."
Similarly, another X account mentioned, "Man who pulled off the largest jewelry heist in history was mistakenly deported to Ecuador by ICE after being out on bond. They took a 100 million worth of gold and diamonds, and much of it still hasn’t been recovered, and now he’s free."
"A big mistake by ICE. ICE accidentally deported a man who was a prime suspect in the largest jewel heist in US history. He was detained by ICE, and he volunteered to self-deport. In this way, he avoided the criminal charges related to the $100 million heist," wrote a third person on X.
A person further wrote, "ICE has now admitted it accidentally deported a man who was a suspect in the largest jewel heist in US history, a theft valued at roughly one hundred million dollars."
Fact check: ICE deported Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores in late December 2025
Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was one of seven people charged in 2025 with stalking an armored truck to a rural freeway rest stop north of Los Angeles and stealing millions worth of jewelry and designer watches in 2022.
He faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted of charges of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment, and from interstate and foreign shipment. Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Meanwhile, ICE deported Flores in late December 2025 after he requested voluntary departure, prosecutors mentioned in court filings. Flores’s attorney, John D Robertson, motioned to dismiss the indictment against him and asked for the charges to be permanently dropped and the case closed.
However, the Federal prosecutors opposed the motion and said they still hope to bring Flores to trial, and asked for charges to be dropped 'without prejudice' to keep the door open for criminal prosecution in the future.
Flores was taken into ICE custody in September, according to court filings from his defense attorneys.
