2 found guilty of robbing 'high-end' liquor from stores, selling it on Instagram
The duo robbed BevMo stores in Long Beach and Lakewood and then used social media to sell the bottles, according to federal authorities.
Two Los Angeles men were found guilty Thursday of robbing thousands of dollars worth of liquor from stores in Long Beach, Lakewood and other cities during a ten-day crime spree and then selling it on Instagram, federal authorities announced.
Authorities say Los Angeles residents Anthony Flores, 28, and Ivin Kitu Sanford, 32, first hatched their plan to rob BevMo stores sometime around May 2023.
Flores stole roughly $2,604 worth of liquor from a BevMo in Long Beach and another $800 worth of liquor from BevMo in Lakewood, authorities said. During the Lakewood robbery, an alleged third co-conspirator, identified as Los Angeles resident Jabco Hardgraves, 27, threatened to shoot a store employee if they attempted to interfere, authorities said.
Flores and Sanford then used Instagram to sell the liquor, authorities said, adding that the duo then conspired to rob BevMo stores in Pasadena and West Covina.
Authorities soon began surveilling Flores selling the stolen bottles and took him into custody, officials said. But he was later released, according to authorities, who did not provide a reason why.
Soon after, Flores and Sanford were making their way to Canyon Country, where they planned to rob another BevMo, authorities said.
There they subdued an employee at the store and tried to steal high-end liquor bottles before leaving in a stolen Dodge Charger, authorities said.
Officers at some point tried to pull their car over, but they refused and led them on a chase through Los Angeles County before crashing into a tree near the California State Route 14 Highway, authorities said.
The two men ditched the car and ran through the highway during rush hour, authorities said.
Eventually, they were found hiding in some bushes in a desolate area and taken into custody, they added.
Following a three-day trial, a jury convicted Flores and Sanford of robbery, authorities said. Authorities did not say when they would be sentenced.
The case against Hardgraves, meanwhile, is still pending and is currently not set for trial, authorities.
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