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A new lawsuit filed by Brink's says that one of the security company's drivers was asleep during a multimillion-dollar jewel heist in Southern California last month.
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York on Aug. 4, states that ahead of the robbery, "Per Department of Transportation regulations, Driver 1 left Driver 2 asleep in the truck and went into the Flying J for food."
"Driver 1 returned to the truck about 27 minutes later - at 2:32 am - and saw that the red plastic seal around the trailer was cut and lying on the ground. He then inspected the trailer's rear lock and found that it had been cutaway," the lawsuit, which was obtained by PEOPLE, states.
Brink's also says they have "good reason to believe that the Defendants, many of whom shipped the missing 22 bags, substantially under-declared the value of their shipments on the Pickup Manifest," which Brink's says "declare(s) a total value of $8,700,000."
"Local media reported that the value of the missing shipments exceeds $100,000,000," the company adds. "Brink's has reason to believe that the local media reports are based on statements by some or all of the Defendants."
Defendants - including Arat Jewelry Corp., El Dorado Jewelry, Inc., Forty-Seventh & Fifth and Supreme Collection Corporation - did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment. Additional defendants on the suit did not have contact information readily available at press time.
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Dana Callahan, a spokesperson for Brink's, said the robbery took place on July 11 near Los Angeles, reported CBS on July 17.
The gems were being transported to an event at the Pasadena Convention Center northeast of L.A., following an exhibit hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show in San Mateo, south of San Francisco, CBS added.
"According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million," Brink's said in a statement, reported the New York Times. "We are working with law enforcement, and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract."
Despite this, the robbery - which The Times reported included numerous gold and diamond necklaces - is going to hit some of the 18 vendors robbed hard. Many had built their inventory for over 40 years, added CBS.
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"It's their whole life," Brandy Swanson, International Gem and Jewelry Show manager, told the outlet. "Some of these people are completely done at this point."
Sadly, many of the jewels are unlikely to be fully insured because of the cost of the premiums, Swanson added.
"That's where the discrepancy comes in," Swanson continued. "These are mom-and-pop operators. They're devastated. Some of these people have lost their entire livelihoods."
A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed to The Times that it was working with local authorities to locate the robbers involved.
Read the original article on People