3 North Las Vegas men charged in $700,000 jewelry heist

Three North Las Vegas men face robbery charges after prosecutors say they stole $700,000 worth of merchandise from a valley jewelry store, the U.S Department of Justice announced Friday.

Theren Phillip Frazier, 27, Phillip Allerson Vaughn, 25, and Eric Jamar Goodall, 29, made a court appearance in federal court in Las Vegas on Thursday. They were charged with one count each of interference with commerce by robbery, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI and Las Vegas police said the men held up the National Jewelry Liquidation Center, 3021 Business Lane, near West Harmon Avenue and Dean Martin Drive. Vaughn and Goodall, who authorities said was brandishing a TEC-9 semi-automatic gun, entered the store, just west of the Strip on Nov. 10 about 2 p.m., a criminal complaint said.

The men demanded the store’s employees and customers get on the floor and stole hundreds of items from jewelry display cases, authorities said. They sped off in a white Honda sedan.

They weren’t aware that they were carrying a tracking device with the jewels, authorities said.

Vaughn and Goodall got into a car driven by Frazier, police said, and headed toward a warehouse.

Authorities didn’t say where that warehouse was, but police started chasing the Honda as it headed there.

Police tried to stop the sedan near Treasure Island and the Mirage, and Vaughn and Goodall jumped from the moving car, according to the complaint. Police arrested them while the driver kept going before bailing from the Honda in the Mirage valet area.

Frazier was arrested three days later by the FBI. Authorities said that the Honda was registered to him and that surveillance video from the Mirage showed him leaving the car.

It was not immediate clearly Friday where Frazier, Vaughn and Goodall were being detained.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites