A federal grand jury has indicted four young men in connection with the robbery of a Fremont jewelry store last summer that resulted in the theft of about $1.7 million worth of jewelry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
The indictment charges Afatupetaiki Faasisila, 20, of San Bruno; Jose Herrada-Aragon, 20, of Concord; Andres Palestino, 19, of Concord; and Tom Parker Donegan, 19, of Fairfield, with one count of robbery affecting interstate commerce.
Faasisila and Palestino were arrested Monday and made their first appearances in federal court on Tuesday. Herrada-Aragon and Donegan are already in state custody on other charges and will be transferred to federal custody, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, the robbery happened June 18, 2025, at a jewelry store on Mowry Avenue in Fremont. Prosecutors said more than two dozen masked people carried out the robbery while the store was open.
Surveillance video shows a gray Honda ramming into the front of the store to force entry, authorities allege. Once inside, one person pointed a gun at a security guard while another held the guard’s arms and forced him to the ground. Dozens of masked suspects then rushed in, using hammers and other tools to smash display cases and grab jewelry before fleeing in waiting vehicles.
The criminal complaint alleges Donegan drove one of the getaway cars and led police on a chase before crashing in another part of Fremont. The four defendants then ran from the vehicle but were caught by officers. Police recovered pieces of stolen jewelry along the escape route and inside the abandoned car, which had been reported stolen.
Palestino was scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Oakland on Wednesday. Faasisila is set to appear for a detention hearing on Friday.
If convicted, each defendant could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.