Latest news with #SATGs
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: ICE issues detainers for alleged illegal immigrant burglars
EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued seven detainers for removal against illegal immigrants who allegedly committed two burglaries in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona, last week. The suspects are allegedly part of a South American Theft Group that committed two burglaries in the Phoenix area cities May 23, and they were arrested by the Scottsdale Police Department at the short-term rental the group was staying in. "Under Secretary Noem's leadership, criminal illegal aliens are being held accountable for victimizing Americans," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. 7 Members Of South American Theft Group Arrested For Phoenix Burglaries "ICE is working alongside partner law enforcement agencies throughout the country to ensure that South American Theft Groups — like the one allegedly responsible for burglaries in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona — are dismantled and deported once and for all. We will not allow criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American communities," McLaughlin added. The suspects are Nicolas Rojas Leon, 23, Joan Sebastian Orozco-Vargas, 26, Andres David Sanchez-Novoa, 38, Natalia Isabella Ortiz-Daza, 26, Martha Juliana Echiverri-Guzman, 28, Lady Johanna Gueito, 32, and Angie Paola Herandez-Manrique, 25. Read On The Fox News App According to DHS, the group operates out of California but is originally from Colombia. Gun-toting Noem Joins Ice Agents To Go After Criminal Illegal Aliens In Arizona Scottsdale Police were informed by Burbank Police in California about the SATG organization May 20 after it allegedly committed other burglaries in California, Oregon and Washington. Golden State authorities shared information, like vehicle descriptions, to help them find the suspects. A French Bulldog was stolen in one of the California break-ins, and it will be returned, according to police. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage The police department was alerted to the group May 20 by the Burbank Police Department in California. It was warned about a SATG group from Colombia that had allegedly committed burglaries in California, Oregon and Washington and how it could be making its way to Arizona next. Each suspect was ordered held in the Maricopa County Jail pending "numerous criminal charges" on $150,000 cash-only bonds. Tren De Aragua Gang Member Arrested In Nyc Was 'Trying To Buy Grenades,' Noem Says South American Theft Groups have been prevalent throughout communities in California, Arizona, Colorado and nationwide, particularly in affluent areas. Although this group originated in Colombia, SATGs, like those from Chile, have triggered bipartisan calls for visa waiver program reform. A string of "dinner-time burglaries" in recent years in the Grand Canyon State has ties to SATGs, Arizona's Family reported in March 2024. When Fox News Digital reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, it noted comments County Attorney Rachel Mitchell made at a press conference earlier this week before ICE formally announced the detainers. "Obviously that's a federal issue," Mitchell said when asked about the possibility of suspects being deported. "But my understanding is that there is an ICE file stop on each of the individuals." Scottsdale police said they do not comment on ICE-related matters and deferred to the county attorney's office. There are no sanctuary jurisdictions listed by the DHS in Arizona. Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this article source: EXCLUSIVE: ICE issues detainers for alleged illegal immigrant burglars
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Migrant gangs put on notice after string of home burglaries
EXCLUSIVE: A bipartisan group of lawmakers asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to nix Chile's status on the visa waiver program (VWP) amid a major gang burglary risk. Reps. Young Kim, Derek Tran, Dave Min and Mike Levin of California sent a letter to DHS asking that Chile be taken off the list, which allows citizens from certain countries to visit the U.S. for roughly three months without a visa, until steps are taken to ensure that people robbing homes and businesses after they come to the country are stopped. "We are concerned that the VWP continues to be exploited by South American Theft Groups (SATG) — a majority of whom originate from Chile. Known as 'burglary tourism,' certain eligible individuals travel to the U.S. through the VWP for the purpose of committing residential and commercial robberies before returning to their country of origin," states the letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. 'Needs To Resign': Blue State Blasted For Asking For Loan Amid Skyrocketing Immigrant Healthcare Costs "In addition to having an impact on familial communities, SATGs continue to victimize Orange County companies and entrepreneurs, placing a burden on our local police departments, already beset by a lack of resources and a staffing deficit," the letter continued. "In 2024, there were 59 residential burglaries suspected of being committed by SATGs in the Orange County Sheriff's Department Southeast Patrol Area. Given the threat to public safety, we believe immediate action must be taken." Read On The Fox News App The practice of "burglary tourism" has become a relatively common occurrence in communities throughout the country, including affluent areas such as Orange County, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona. Even top athletes such as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow have become theft victims. Chilean Migrant Gangs Terrorize Americans With Home Invasions: What To Know A previous letter was sent by Kim, Levin and Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., asking the Biden administration to take similar action in June 2023, warning that the SATGs will sometimes "sell stolen goods online and launder money through Chinese crime syndicates." Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer asked Chile to lose its visa waiver program privileges last month on "FOX & Friends." Gang Of Illegal Immigrants Target High-end Phoenix-area Homes In Burglaries, Authorities Say "Every other South American country that has participated in the past has been kicked out of the program for sending their criminals to the United States of America," Spitzer said at the time. "These Chileans have been coming here for years," he said. "They're going to Orlando, Florida, where Disney World is. They're coming to Orange County, California, where Disneyland is. And they're not here to visit the happiest place on Earth — they're here to burglarize," he added. Southern American gangs, including the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua, have been under heightened scrutiny under the Trump administration, as many groups like them have now been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. DHS did not respond to a request for comment in time for article source: Migrant gangs put on notice after string of home burglaries
Fox News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Migrant gangs put on notice after string of home burglaries
EXCLUSIVE: A bipartisan group of lawmakers asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to nix Chile's status on the visa waiver program (VWP) amid a major gang burglary risk. Reps. Young Kim, Derek Tran, Dave Min and Mike Levin of California sent a letter to DHS asking that Chile be taken off the list, which allows citizens from certain countries to visit the U.S. for roughly three months without a visa, until steps are taken to ensure that people robbing homes and businesses after they come to the country are stopped. "We are concerned that the VWP continues to be exploited by South American Theft Groups (SATG) — a majority of whom originate from Chile. Known as 'burglary tourism,' certain eligible individuals travel to the U.S. through the VWP for the purpose of committing residential and commercial robberies before returning to their country of origin," states the letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. "In addition to having an impact on familial communities, SATGs continue to victimize Orange County companies and entrepreneurs, placing a burden on our local police departments, already beset by a lack of resources and a staffing deficit," the letter continued. "In 2024, there were 59 residential burglaries suspected of being committed by SATGs in the Orange County Sheriff's Department Southeast Patrol Area. Given the threat to public safety, we believe immediate action must be taken." The practice of "burglary tourism" has become a relatively common occurrence in communities throughout the country, including affluent areas such as Orange County, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona. Even top athletes such as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow have become theft victims. A previous letter was sent by Kim, Levin and Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., asking the Biden administration to take similar action in June 2023, warning that the SATGs will sometimes "sell stolen goods online and launder money through Chinese crime syndicates." Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer asked Chile to lose its visa waiver program privileges last month on "FOX & Friends." "Every other South American country that has participated in the past has been kicked out of the program for sending their criminals to the United States of America," Spitzer said at the time. "These Chileans have been coming here for years," he said. "They're going to Orlando, Florida, where Disney World is. They're coming to Orange County, California, where Disneyland is. And they're not here to visit the happiest place on Earth — they're here to burglarize," he added. Southern American gangs, including the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua, have been under heightened scrutiny under the Trump administration, as many groups like them have now been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. DHS did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
FBI investigating South American Theft Groups in the United States
Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Professional athletes and others are among high-profile U.S. citizens who have been targeted by what the FBI is calling South American Theft Groups. FBI field offices across the nation and in South America are targeting SATGs whose members are foreign nationals of South American descent and enter the United States illegally or overstay their visas to commit crimes, the FBI says in an online video titled, "Intercepting South American Theft Groups." Those crimes include a "recent trend of break-ins at the homes of professional athletes while they are away at games" and are targeted by the theft groups, the FBI says. "These informal but sophisticated organizations have burglarized jewelry stores and robbed salespeople," according to the FBI video. "These groups aim to illegally sell their ill-gotten property or send it overseas with their profits - and the resulting black-market demand for stolen goods - fueling the cycle of violent crime." The FBI says the criminal groups commonly use rental vehicles, fake IDs and documents, multiple burner phones and encrypted messaging apps to communicate, plan and carry out their crimes. Professional athletes often are targeted Those crimes have targeted several professional athletes while they are playing games - often that involve travel to distant locations. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow are among the many professional athletes who were targeted by alleged SATGs in recent months. Other professional athletes recently burglarized include Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis. The problem has become so pervasive that the NFL and NBA have warned their respective athletes against criminal acts by SATGs. "These SATGs are reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones and signal-jamming devices," NBA Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer Leon Newsome said in a recent memo to players. Burglarized homes typically were unoccupied and had no dogs present when crimes occurred, according to the FBI. A federal grand jury in Cincinnati on Wednesday indicted three Chilean nationals for a Dec. 9 burglary at Burrow's home in Cincinnati. Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, 22; Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, 23; and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, 38, are Chile citizens and charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods and falsification of records in federal court. Each faces up to 30 years in federal prison but is innocent until proven guilty. The three men also are charged with state-level crimes for allegedly breaking into Burrow's Cincinnati home while he was leading the Bengals to a 27-20 win over the host Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 9. Keanu Reeves' Rolex recovered in Chile Actor Keanu Reeves also was victimized by a burglary while he was away, and some of the goods stolen from his home recently were discovered in Chile. Police in Santiago, Chile, in December announced the recovery of three luxury watches belonging to Reeves that likely were stolen from his Los Angeles home in late 2023, CNN reported. One of the watches is a Rolex Submariner valued at $9,000 and engraved with Reeves' first name and "2021, JW4, thank you, The John Wick Five." Reeves in 2021 gave Rolex Submariner watches to stuntmen who participated in the filming of "John Wick: Chapter 4." Local police recovered the watch during a police investigation into a series of local robberies in Chile's capital city.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
2 Diamond District merchants accused of fencing goods for out-of-state burglary rings
A pair of Diamond District merchants accused of fencing stolen goods for an international burglary ring are expected to face a federal judge in Brooklyn today, with one of them linked to a break-in at Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home, according to law enforcement sources. Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, had contact with the Chilean crew accused of breaking into Burrows' place less than a week before the Ohio burglary, sources said. And both Nezhinskiy and his accomplice, Juan Villar, are tied to prolific thief Bryan Leandro Herrera-Maldonado, who committed at least 16 home burglaries across the U.S. in 2019 and 2020, federal prosecutors allege. The two merchants, in fact, worked with at least five different burglary crews operating around the U.S. — including so-called South American Theft Groups, or SATGs, 'who engage in crime tourism,' prosecutors say. The Diamond District duo fenced items like jewelry, watches, handbags and other luxury goods out of Nezhinskiy's pawn shop on 47th St. in Midtown, prosecutors allege. An undercover detective conducted seven controlled sales to the men at their shop between October 2022 and January 2024, according to prosecutors. When the feds raided the store Monday, they found dozens of high-end watches and jewelry believed to be stolen, as well as large sums of cash and marijuana, prosecutor allege. The feds found more swag in Nezhinskiy's storage units in New Jersey, including fancy handbags, wine, sports memorabilia, jewelry, artwork and safe-cracking tools, prosecutors allege. Nezhinskiy, a Georgian national living in North Bergen, N.J., and Villar, 48, of Queens, both have extensive criminal records, the feds say. Both are expected to be arraigned in Brooklyn Federal Court Wednesday, where prosecutors will ask that they be held without bail. 'Both defendants are charged with crimes that, at first blush, may not appear to be violent or dangerous, but in reality, the defendants' crimes create a substantial risk to human life,' prosecutors wrote in a Tuesday filing. 'Indeed, their criminal conduct creates a market for residential burglaries and retail thefts that create a very real risk of danger. By creating a cash-based marketplace for stolen items, these defendants motivate individuals to engage in nationwide patterns of burglaries and thefts.'
