6 Charged In String Of Armed Robberies Targeting Ethnic Groups
WASHINGTON – Six people were charged Wednesday in connection with a series of armed robberies targeting people of Indian and Asian ancestry in their homes.
The robberies occurred in two states: Michigan and Texas.
Chaka LeChar Castro, 40, Juan Olaya, 35, and Octavius Scott, 22, all of Houston, and Jakeyra Augustus, 21, of La Marque, Texas, are each charged with engaging in a RICO conspiracy, four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and four counts of use and carrying of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Rodney Granger, 19, and Johnisha Williams, 19, both of Houston, are each charged with engaging in a RICO conspiracy. All of the defendants are currently in custody.
According to the indictment, the six charged committed four armed home invasion robberies in the greater Ann Arbor area over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2014, as well as additional armed robberies in the greater Dallas area in early December 2014.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said in a statement that the armed robberies were horrific home invasions that spread fear through Asian and Indian communities across multiple states.
"As alleged in the indictment, these defendants used online research to target their victims from a distance, traveled to their homes, and then carried out the robberies while the victims were at home," said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade. "The defendants either broke in or used a female decoy to knock, luring victims to open the door. Once the door was open, the robbers would charge inside with guns and threats of violence, round up all the adults and children into one room, and bind them with duct tape before ransacking the house and stealing valuables. We are grateful for the outstanding work of federal, state and local law enforcement in various jurisdictions to connect the dots and put this case together."
Authorities say the homes were ransacked in search of cash, jewelry and electronics.
According to allegations in the indictment, Castro was the leader of the enterprise. In that capacity, she allegedly coordinated with Olaya to generate lists of robbery targets by conducting research on the Internet, among other methods, to identify families of Asian and Indian ancestry. Castro then assigned crews to carry out the armed robberies of these targeted families. Olaya allegedly led the robberies themselves, and Scott, Augustus, Granger and Williams were allegedly members of the robbery crew.
