Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announces 6 new organized retail crime arrests
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced six new arrests in connection to home invasions and retail thefts.
Three Chilean nationals have been charged in the high-end home invasions that happened in Oakland, Wayne and Kent counties.
It is alleged that between Feb. 3 and Feb. 11, the three took part in break-ins at homes in Ada Township, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe Farms, Rochester and Rochester Hills.
Jeremy Martinez, 19, was charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and eight counts of second-degree home invasion, a 15-year felony. Ignacio Ruiz-Saldias, 29, was charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and eight counts of second-degree home invasion, a 15-year felony. Tamara Ruiz-Saldias, 36, was also charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and eight counts of second-degree home invasion, a 15-year felony.
"Home invasions don't just threaten our property, they threaten our sense of security, and this ring has set entire communities on edge," said Nessel. "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 three defendants are being held at the Hamilton County Jail in Hamilton County, Indiana, where they are facing separate home invasion charges.
According to Nessel, the FBI says all three are members of a South American theft group.
"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. Having Attorney General Nessel charge them in a 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," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Break-ins at high-end homes in Metro Detroit
In September, Bouchard said there was a growing concern about break-ins at high-end homes across the county and that thieves were taking jewelry and money from these homes.
He had said they believed the thieves were part of an organized out-of-state crime scheme.
In November, the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety issued a crime alert about thefts happening at high-end homes, again saying that authorities believed these crimes were being carried out by individuals from outside of Michigan.
Thieves also targeted high-end homes in Grosse Pointe Farms over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Just last week, law enforcement agencies in the Metro Detroit area teamed up to create a new task force to stop this organized crime group that is targeting high-end homes.
Bouchard issued the following statement on Monday, Dec. 11:
"We applaud the charging of three suspects accused in high-end break-ins at homes in our county, but we want to be clear that these suspects have been in custody for months. 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. These are completely different teams who continue to traumatize residents in our area, and I urge residents to remain vigilant."
Three Detroit residents charged in retail thefts
Also on Monday, Nessel announced three Detroit residents were being charged in "push-out" thefts at Lululemon and Ulta stores in Michigan.
Loreece Cross, 34, is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, fourth counts of first-degree retail fraud, a five-year felony, and one count of second-degree retail fraud, a one-year misdemeanor. Cardiae Davis, 20, faces one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and seven counts of organized retail crime, a five-year felony. Samira Smith, 20, has been charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and seven counts of first-degree retail fraud, a five-year felony.
According to Nessel, the three are responsible for more than 30 retail thefts across Metro Detroit between December 2022 and November 2023.
"Organized Retail Crime is a pervasive problem in Michigan and across the United States, costing Michigan businesses over $1 billion each year," said Nessel. "Through our state and local law enforcement partnerships, my FORCE Team is able to vigorously prosecute not just the thieves, but also the people who organize these rings. I anticipate that today's arrests will be the first of many tied to this ring as we continue to target those who target Michigan's retailers."