Feds: Colombian crew illegally in U.S. targeted Asian American business owners with high-tech heists

Federal prosecutors say a high-tech robbery crew made up of Colombian nationals illegally in the U.S. targeted the homes of Asian American business owners in the Pacific Northwest using signal-jamming technology, group chats and surveillance to burglarize homes and steal cash, jewelry and designer goods.

The burglary enterprise also allegedly included a crew member posing as a pizza deliver driver to scope out targets.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon said the string of burglaries occurred in Oregon and Washington in October with the criminal crew allegedly wiring and sending stolen proceeds to Colombia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement to Adams MultiMedia that the seven-person, alleged burglary crew are all Colombian nationals and all are unlawfully in the U.S.

Federal prosecutors said March 31 that Jhon Alexander Quintero, AKA Edwin Andres Cadena-Pineda, 45, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to transport stolen goods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Quintero is in the U.S. "unlawfully."

According to court documents cited by prosecutors, Quintero and six other members of the alleged crew burglarized homes in Auburn, Washington as well as Gresham, Eugene and Salem, Oregon in October.

“All the burglary victims were Asian American business owners who were away working at their businesses,” according to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The alleged criminal enterprise was just that — an enterprise.

According to prosecutors and police, the crew traveled between states and stayed in short-term rentals.

The crew would then allegedly identify and surveil Asian American business owners, “performing reconnaissance on the victims’ residences,” prosecutors said.

“When they carried out the burglaries, Quintero and his co-conspirators employed signal jamming technology, perimeter counter-surveillance, and seven-way group calls,” the USAO said.

The crew allegedly entered the homes while the business owners were at work by shattering glass doors.

They stole cash, jewelry, designer handbags, wallets and travel documents, according to police and prosecutors.

Detectives with the Eugene Police Department (EPD) became aware of the group’s movements and began surveillance, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eugene Police said automated license plate reading technology helped identify a suspected member of the crew near one of the burglarized homes.

“The investigation revealed a brief video that captured a person posing to be a pizza delivery driver shortly before all cameras malfunctioned simultaneously,” EPD said in a statement after the arrests.

Oregon police eventually identified the purported pizza delivery vehicle and tracked it to an near area of one of the burglaries on the day of that alleged crime via license plate tracking technology.

Investigators located a rental property in Eugene and raided the property with a SWAT team after securing a search warrant, according to EPD.

Quintero and the crew fled into a nearby woods during the police raid. They were eventually detained and indicted on federal charges.

According to an announcement in October from Eugene police, others arrested included:

27-year-old Steven Alexander Quirogasolano

31-year-old Robinson Camacho Rodriguez

26-year-old William Steven Rodriguez

24-year-old Denison Martinez

27-year-old Jesson Quintero

24-year-old Jhon Quintero.

Those were the defendants' ages when they were arrested in October.

Police discovered property and cash potentially stolen from various heists. During the raid, police also found more than a dozen cellphones, commercial grade Wi-FI signal jammers and Colombian travel documents.

The crew allegedly shared coordinates and surveillance information of the targeted homes. During the burglaries, the crew utilized lookouts and other “counter-surveillance” measures, according to prosecutors.

There have been other burglaries and robberies targeting Asian communities, including business owners, in the Pacific Northwest, according to law enforcement agencies.

Quintero faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced on June 30.