DETROIT – This week, Michigan’s attorney general announced charges against three Chilean nationals for their alleged connection with a string of high-end home invasions plaguing the region -- but they aren’t responsible for the latest burglaries.
On Monday, Dec. 11, Michigan AG Dana Nessel announced second-degree home invasion and criminal enterprise charges against Jeremy Martinez, 19, Ignacio Ruiz-Saldias, 29, and Tamara Ruiz-Saldias, 36, all residents of the South American country Chile. The group are believed to be associated with the many coordinated crews that have been coming from Chile to America to carry out home invasions, as well as jewelry store and vehicle robberies, Metro Detroit authorities say.
However, the three individuals charged in the state of Michigan are not associated with the most recent home invasions that have occurred throughout Metro Detroit, particularly in Oakland County. All three of the individuals have been in jail in Indiana since February on unrelated home invasion charges.
The charges against the Chilean residents -- who have been identified by the FBI as members of the South American Theft Group -- stem from eight break-ins that occurred in Ada Township, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe Farms, Rochester, and Rochester Hills in February, officials said. The felony charges against them carry punishments of 15-20 years in prison.
They were charged while in custody at the Hamilton County Jail in Hamilton County, Indiana. It’s unknown how long they were set to remain in jail there.
Though some Metro Detroiters told Local 4 on Monday that the news of the charges was reassuring, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard is reminding residents to be alert and to ensure their homes are as secure as possible. Despite the charges, several other crews have been breaking into million-dollar homes in the region over the past few months, at least.
Bouchard says that law enforcement estimate there are likely up to 100 teams of 4-6 people carrying out the crimes across the U.S.
The sheriff’s office, along with dozens of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, believe the high-end home invasions in Metro Detroit are being carried out by people from Chile. These individuals are believed to be trained and work together in small crews to rob a homes of their expensive items.
The losses from the home invasions in Michigan are believed to be worth millions of dollars, Nessel’s office said Monday.
Certain homes are being targeted
The thieves have been targeting expensive homes, particularly million-dollar homes, and are going after houses that have thick landscaping and/or back up to wooded areas, trees, shrubs, a golf course, trails, and the like. The thieves are using these areas to stake out the house, and wait for a time to strike, officials say.
The crews have been targeting isolated, high-end homes, but the homes aren’t only in exclusive and expensive neighborhoods. Sheriff Bouchard said that any home that fits the thieves’ criteria can be targeted, even if the homes around it might not fit the bill.
The thieves are often entering the homes through glass doors and windows, sometimes using ladders to enter second-floor windows. While breaking into the homes, the thieves are using devices called jammers, which literally jam frequencies to prevent any information from getting in or out. These jammers block wireless alarm and security systems, glass break alarms, wireless internet service, and the like.
“This group is methodical,” Bouchard previously said.
So far, Sheriff Bouchard says the thieves hitting Metro Detroit homes appear to be nonconfrontational. If they hear someone, or something happens during a break-in, the thieves flee.
Once inside, the thieves are going after valuable items like jewelry, precious metals, electronics, purses, watches, and safes.
---> High-end home thefts: Everything we know after Oakland County sheriff’s update
Where the thieves are coming from
Authorities previously said that the thieves appear to be involved in an organized crime network that originates in South America. Last week, Bouchard said the crews are all coming from the country of Chile.
According to Bouchard, the thieves are getting into the U.S. using one of two methods: Illegally entering at the country’s border, or through the Visa Waiver Program, which “enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa,” the U.S. government says.
Crews out of Chile are reportedly targeting homes, cars and businesses across the country, and continue to move around the country. Bouchard said the crews of thieves are “very much trained,” and continuously move on to new communities to avoid being found.
When asked where the crews might be living, Bouchard said it’s hard to say, since they move around so frequently. The crews will successfully hit a target, and then move on to another community, or even another state, Bouchard said.
In an effort to catch the crews, and to prevent more from coming into Metro Detroit to commit crimes, the sheriff’s office is partnering with 30 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to establish a task force. Together, the agencies plan to share information and team up on efforts to track down the thieves.
“We need federal help,” Bouchard said. “If we catch one crew and two more are on the way, we’re trying to plug holes in a dam that’s breaking.”
The Oakland County sheriff made it clear, however, that the task force is not concerned about immigration. He said immigration is a policy that’s up to the federal government, and that this task force is primarily concerned with focusing on the individuals coming to the U.S. specifically to commit crimes.