On Monday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced six FORCE Team arrests stemming from two separate investigations into flagrant criminal rings operating in the metro-Detroit area.
—Home Invasion Ring
Three arrests were made in connection to a sophisticated, coordinated string of home invasions targeting affluent homes in Oakland, Wayne, and Kent Counties. The alleged crime ring targets extravagant homes in affluent neighborhoods in orchestrated home invasions occurring when the homes are vacant, employing technology to thwart alarm systems, and taking extensive precautions to avoid being identified on home security camera systems and by forensic analyses of crime scenes. Losses from recent break-ins fitting the pattern measure in the millions of dollars as money, jewelry, other high-value items, and safes have been stolen from affected properties. It is believed by several law enforcement agencies the home invasions are conducted by non-citizen temporary residents from countries in South America, who traveled to the United States and Michigan for the express purpose of conducting these crimes.
In an effort to combat the ongoing threat these crime groups present to our State, Sheriff Michael Bouchard, from Oakland County, has established a multi-jurisdictional task force made up of over a dozen area police departments throughout Southeast
Michigan.
Charged in connection to these break-ins are:
• Jeremy Martinez, 19, Chilean National—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, Chilean National—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, Chilean National—One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony; and eight counts of Second-Degree Home Invasion, a 15-year felony.
All charges have been filed in the 52-3 District Court in Rochester.
The three defendants named above were charged while in custody at the Hamilton County Jail in Hamilton County, Indiana, where they face separate home invasion-related charges. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified each, all Chilean nationals, as being members of the formally designated South American Theft Group. They are charged in connection to eight break-ins that took place between February 3rd and February 11th of this year in Ada Township, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe Farms, Rochester, and Rochester Hills.
Home invasions connected to this alleged crime ring continue throughout Southwest Michigan and the Department of Attorney General’s investigation, in partnership with the Oakland County Sheriff’s office, remains ongoing.
“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.”
“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 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.
—Retail Thefts
Three arrests were made in connection to a rash of ‘push-out’ thefts perpetrated on Lululemon and Ulta Beauty retail locations throughout metro Detroit. The State alleges the three to be responsible for over 30 theft incidents, spanning in time from December 2022 to just last month, with the latest charged theft event occurring on November 26th, 2023. Small, organized groups have been observed to enter a storefront, grab as much high-value merchandise as they could carry or load into a shopping basket, and simply walk or run back out the front door into an awaiting getaway vehicle. From there, it is alleged, the merchandise would be sold directly to end-consumers or sold in bulk to a fence operation. Total losses to retailers connected to these thefts exceed $200,000. One theft event alone netted over $19,000 in merchandise.
Charged in connection to these thefts are:
• Loreece Cross, 34, of Detroit—One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony; four counts of First-Degree Retail Fraud, a 5-year felony; and one count of Second-Degree Retail Fraud, a 1-year misdemeanor.
• Cardiae Davis, 20, of Detroit—One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony; and seven counts of Organized Retail Crime, a 5-year felony.
• Samira Smith, 20, of Detroit—One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony; and seven counts of First-Degree Retail Fraud, a 5-year felony.
Charges against Smith have been filed in the 52-3 District Court in Rochester. Cross and Davis are being charged in the 52-1 District Court in Novi.
It was Detective Mike Narduzzi of the Grosse Pointe City Public Safety Department who initially identified the string of push-out thefts at Metro Detroit Lululemon stores this summer. Alleged thefts connected to this group targeted Lululemon locations in Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Clinton Township (location within the Patridge Creek Mall), Detroit, Grand Rapids, Grosse Pointe, Novi (location within the Twelve Oaks Mall), and Rochester Hills. Ulta Beauty locations targeted in the alleged thefts are in Canton, Northville, Shelby Township, and Warren. This investigation by the attorney general’s FORCE Team was aided by efforts from Michigan State Police detectives from both the East and West fraud teams, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, and the local police departments of Grosse Pointe, Canton, Novi, and Birmingham.
“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.”
The FORCE Team and the Organized Retail Crime Unit were established in January by the Attorney General to target criminal organizations that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell for a profit. Two assistant attorneys general serve the unit full time, working with special agents within the Department of Attorney General and Michigan State Police detectives to investigate and prosecute these crimes. In September, the Department announced a partnership with the FBI’s Detroit Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force, which has assigned a special agent to the FORCE Team to assist State efforts to combat organized retail crime. This is a first-in-the-nation unit, unique in the 50 states as being the first such unit with embedded, dedicated staff from the Department of Attorney General.
The FORCE Team is dedicated to working collaboratively with retailers and local law enforcement agencies to combat organized retail crime. Recent corporate partners on investigations have included Sam’s Club/Walmart, Meijer, Target, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, Rite-Aid, Lululemon, Ulta, and Lowe’s. The team’s first major investigation produced charges against seven individuals earlier this year. Local law enforcement agencies or retailers with evidence of organized retail fraud are encouraged to email the FORCE Team.
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