Man Gets 23 Years for Kidnapping and Robbery of Orange County Jeweler

A 30-year-old man from Santa Ana, California, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for his involvement in the kidnapping and robbery of a jeweler in Costa Mesa, as well as an attempted kidnapping of a jeweler in Yorba Linda. Marvin Antoine Brown, who pleaded guilty in April, received credit for approximately five years in custody. His co-defendant, Cedrick Emillion Reynolds, also pleaded guilty in April and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Another co-defendant, Leonard Antonyeo Berry, 35, pleaded guilty to various charges including conspiracy to commit a crime, attempted kidnapping, robbery, false imprisonment, and battery. Berry accepted a plea deal from Orange County Superior Court Judge Larry Yellin and was credited with 1,811 days for time served awaiting trial.

The three defendants were charged in connection with abductions that took place in Yorba Linda on November 30, 2019, and in Costa Mesa on December 4, 2019. The suspects, along with a fourth unidentified individual, drove from San Bernardino to Yorba Linda in Reynolds’ Toyota Camry to carry out the crimes.

During the attempted kidnapping in Yorba Linda, the victim managed to resist and the suspects fled the scene. The victim, who owned a jewelry store in Orange, later discovered a GPS tracking device on his car that was traced back to Berry.

Four days after the first incident, the defendants targeted another jewelry store owner in Costa Mesa. They assaulted the victim, bound him with duct tape, and subjected him to severe beatings over several hours. The suspects then stole valuable items from the victim before fleeing the scene.

Reynolds and Brown were caught on video surveillance attempting to break into the jewelry store later that evening. However, they were unable to disable the alarm and fled the scene. The victim was later found in Santa Ana with serious injuries, including a fractured jaw, broken orbital sockets, rib fractures, liver laceration, and extensive bruising.

Reynolds pleaded guilty to multiple charges including torture, conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, false imprisonment, and battery. Brown pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, robbery, false imprisonment, and battery. Berry faces charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, torture, robbery, false imprisonment, and battery.