This isn’t isolated criminal activity for West Chester Twp., said township spokeswoman Brianna Wooten.
“For several years, West Chester and other area communities have noticed a growing trend of organized burglary rings that target the residents of Asian-American small business owners,” she wrote in a statement. “Investigators have determined that these burglary rings are transnational groups from South America that are highly organized and use common methods of operation to commit burglaries thorough the United States.”
Norma Bautista Garcia, 46, of Springdale, Jose Garcia-Salas, 46, of Orlando, Fla., Osvaldo Rodriguez, 40, of Springdale, and Manuel Gomez Giraldo, 42, of Haines City, Fla., were arrested in August related to the Aug. 7 Lawrence Road burglary.
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In total, the four face charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and two counts of complicity to burglary, all second-degree felonies. Bautista Garcia, Garcia-Salas and Rodriguez were also indicted with possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.
All four were in court on Wednesday morning, and will have differing upcoming court appearances. Bautista Garcia and Rodriguez are scheduled to be back before Common Pleas Court Judge Greg Howard on Wednesday, while Garcia-Salas and Giraldo are scheduled to be back in court on Nov. 12, according to court records. Court records also show a jury trial was scheduled for Rodriguez on Oct. 27.
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Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said the defendants are always innocent until proven guilty, but said the allegations of the case claim they targeted certain victims’ “banking practice.”
Gmoser wouldn’t comment further about the pending case.
According to court and police records, the group is alleged to have cased businesses and homes, used surveillance techniques (including placing hidden cameras), and used disguises, including delivery personnel.
West Chester Twp. police, with the assistance of the and South American Theft Group, used neighborhood surveillance cameras, and subsequently license plate reader technology to identify the vehicles used in the burglaries, according to the township.
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“While our investigation has helped to halt this specific operation and prevented future burglaries, the owners of local businesses are still encouraged to be aware of their surroundings and report to any suspicious activity to local law enforcement immediately,” according to Wooten.
The investigation found four ledgers allegedly tying the group to prior burglaries, various criminal tools, such as the cameras and disguises, according to police.
“Crime in this country, with respects to methods and procedures, is not limited to those things we traditionally have had in society,” Gmoser said. “Now, because of the ability of criminals to invade our personal space by means of social media, and computers and other electronic means of surveillance, there is a true invasion in this country with respect to crime.”
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