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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has included the Cuban citizen Alberto Pérez Elías on its list of the most wanted for his alleged involvement in the robbery of Tio Jewelers in Cape Coral, Florida, where he and three other men stole jewelry valued at over one million dollars.
According to the official FBI report, on January 6, 2026, Pérez Elías and three other individuals entered an empty commercial space next to the jewelry store, broke the wall separating the two premises, and held the business manager at gunpoint.
The suspects forced open a safe and seized thousands of jewels worth over one million dollars, before fleeing to Miami, where three of them were arrested following an investigation.
On June 24, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, based in Fort Myers, issued a federal arrest warrant for Pérez Elías after he was charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce through robbery, interference with commerce through robbery, and carrying and using a firearm during a violent crime.
The same charges are faced by Ivel Sánchez Rivera (52 years old and a resident of Hialeah), Osmani Barrios Carrera (37, Hialeah), and Yunior López Delgado (42, Miami), who were detained by authorities, according to a statement released by the Department of Justice announcing the formal charges against the four individuals involved in the heist. Pérez Elías, 57 years old and a resident of Miami, is the only accused who remains at large.
If found guilty, each faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, plus a consecutive sentence of seven years for wielding a firearm during the robbery.
The FBI describes Pérez Elías as a bald man, with brown eyes, standing 1.68 meters tall and weighing about 68 kilograms, born in Cuba, and with connections in Hialeah and Miami. The available photograph in the record dates back to 2018, and it notes that the accused is also known as Alberto Pérez Elías and Alberto Pérez.
The agency warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
The case is handled by the FBI office in Tampa and has been classified under the section "additional violent crimes" of the agency's most wanted list. Those with information regarding the whereabouts of Pérez Elías can report it anonymously at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Other Cubans residing in South Florida also appear on the FBI's lists for offenses of this nature. In 2018, the agency offered a reward for Pedro Santamaría, a Cuban from Miami accused of stealing a truck filled with millions of dollars in gold bars, facing similar charges of conspiracy and using a firearm in a violent crime.
This week, the FBI in Tampa also issued an alert for the search of another Cuban for crimes against a minor in Florida.
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