Jewelry Robbers Sentenced to Federal Prison

Tampa, Florida - Gina Parra-Martinez (age 39) and Diego Ramirez-Aldana (age 29) have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle for the robbery of an estimated $1.3 million of jewelry. Parra-Martinez was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison. Ramirez-Aldana was sentenced to five years and one month in federal prison. Both previously pleaded guilty. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records and testimony at the sentencing hearing, in March 2024, Ramirez-Aldana, Parra-Martinez and at least four others robbed a jewelry vendor who was visiting Tampa to sell her jewelry at an exhibition at a hotel near the University of South Florida campus. The night of the exhibition, the victim and her sister took a rideshare from the exhibition back to their hotel. Surveillance video showed that as soon as they arrived, a vehicle pulled up, five masked individuals got out of the vehicle, rushed the victims, pushed them, and stole the victims' bags. The estimated total value of the jewelry stolen was $1.3 million. The robbers also took $9,000 dollars in cash.

Investigators later tied four vehicles and numerous cellphones to the location of the robbery and vicinity surrounding the location. Ramirez-Aldana's cellphone was traced to the immediate vicinity of the jewelry exhibition hours before the robbery. In one of the vehicles used in the robbery, law enforcement discovered loose gems on the floorboard. The robbery victim identified these gems as belonging to her. Forensic processing of the vehicle showed that a latent print on the false registration in the vehicle belonged to Ramirez-Aldana.

Parra-Martinez's cellphone was traced to the vicinity of the jewelry exhibition on the day prior to the robbery. Surveillance footage from the jewelry exhibition showed a woman matching Parra-Martinez's physical appearance walking through the exhibition wearing a baseball cap. Parra-Martinez's fingerprint was recovered from a bag that contained bleach, wigs, and a ski mask located in another vehicle associated with the robbery.

After the Tampa robbery, Parra-Martinez traveled back to New York. A search warrant was executed for an address where she was staying in April 2024. Parra-Martinez left that address and boarded a plane to California hours before agents executed the search warrant. Parra-Martinez changed clothes mid-flight, left her luggage at the baggage claim in California, and evaded capture for several months until her eventual arrest.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.