"This is an extremely violent, sophisticated, well thought-out crime in which this defendant played a pivotal role," the judge said. The thieves then loaded the 275 pounds (125 kilograms) of gold bars and some silver into a waiting van before speeding off. The friend said Perez showed her one of the gold bars at his home. She said she watched as Perez chipped away pieces to sell bit by bit, and she used her cellphone to take photos of this gold and the tools Perez used, according to an FBI affidavit. Lenard said Perez, who has a previous aggravated assault conviction using a baseball bat, provided the weapons for the gold truck robbery.

Source: ABC News September 12, 2016 13:30 UTC