Six people have been charged in connection with two separate investigations involving a string of home invasions across across Oakland, Wayne and Kent counties, and more than two dozen retail theft incidents in Metro Detroit, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced on Monday.
Three Chilean nationals who targeted “extravagant homes in affluent neighborhoods” were arrested and identified as members of the formally designated South American Theft Group, which allegedly did eight seperate break-ins between February 3-11 in Ada Township, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe Farms, Rochester and Rochester Hills, Nessel’s office said.
The suspects ― Jeremy Martinez, 19; Ignacio Ruiz-Saldias, 29; and Tamara Ruiz-Saldias, 36 — were charged in Rochester’s 52-3 District Court with conducting a criminal enterprise and eight counts of second-degree home invasion. They were charged while in custody at the Hamilton County Jail in Hamilton County, Indiana. If convicted, they face up to 35 years behind bars each.
Stolen items from the break-ins included money, jewelry, and other high-value items. Safes also were stolen from several properties, totaling millions of dollars, prosecutors said.
“Home invasions don’t just threaten our property, they threaten our sense of security, and this ring has set entire communities on edge,” Nessel said. “I am proud of the hard work by not just those in my Department, but by our county and local law enforcement partners on this effort.”
The announcement of charges comes five days after Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard reported the formation of the team called Southeast Michigan Collaborate, Arrest and Prosecute, or SEMCAP, which is composed of federal and local law enforcement agencies throughout the region, created to target the “high function” gangs that have netted up to $4 million in cash and jewelry, the sheriff had said on Wednesday.
On Monday, he described the charges as a “critical step” to protect communities across southeast Michigan.
“These organized transnational criminals do not respect county, state, or even national borders, so it is incumbent on us across all those boundaries to work together to hold them accountable,” Bouchard said in a statement. “Having Attorney General Nessel charge them in fashion that recognizes that this is an ongoing criminal enterprise subject to greater penalties is a critical step for us to better protect our communities.”
Bouchard in a statement Monday said he while he “applauded the charging of three suspects for the break-ins at high-end homes,” that the three suspects had been in custody for months and were not those allegedly responsible for “the rash of break-ins” reported in southeast Michigan.
“These suspects — while connected to the same transnational network that has committed countless burglaries across the country — are not the criminals responsible for the rash of break-ins in Southeast Michigan that have risen dramatically since September,” the sheriff said.
“These are completely different teams who continue to traumatize residents in our area, and I urge residents to remain vigilant,” he said.
In a separate investigation, three Detroit residents were charged in a rash of more than 30 “push-out” retail theft incidents from December 2022 to Nov. 26, targeting Lululemon and Ulta Beauty retail locations throughout the region, Nessel’s office reported.
The three were accused of entering stores, grabbing “high-value merchandise,” then escaping in a getaway vehicle. Losses totaled more than $200,000, Nessel’s office said. Prosecutors said merchandise would then be sold directly to consumers or sold in bulk to a fence operation.
Loreece Cross, 34, Cardiae Davis, 20, and Samira Smith, 20, were charged with conducting a criminal enterprise and several counts of first-degree retail fraud, facing up to 25 years in prison, if convicted.
Charges against Smith were filed in the 52-3 District Court in Rochester. Cross and Davis were charged in the 52-1 District Court in Novi.
In addition to the FORCE Team, the investigation was assisted by Michigan State Police, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and the local police departments of Grosse Pointe, Canton, Novi and Birmingham, the attorney general’s office said.
“Organized Retail Crime is a pervasive problem in Michigan and across the United States, costing Michigan businesses over $1 billion each year,” Nessel said Monday.
Nessel’s office established the FORCE Team and the Organized Retail Crime Unit in January, to target criminal organizations that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell for a profit, according to a statement. The team works collaboratively with retailers and local law enforcement agencies.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
