A Chilean national faces up to two decades in prison when he’s sentenced in June for his role in a transnational gang police allege is responsible for home invasions and thefts across Michigan and beyond.
Ignacio Antonio Ruiz-Saldias, 29, remains in Oakland County Jail with a hold from Immigration and Customs Enforcement as he awaits a June 16 sentencing on one count of operating a criminal enterprise and three counts of conspiracy to commit home invasion, second degree, the Royal Oak Tribune reports.
Saldias was convicted of the charges on Tuesday in Oakland County Circuit Court based on evidence of his role in a South American theft group that targeted eight affluent homes in Oakland Township and Rochester Hills, as well as Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe and Ada Township near Grand Rapids, according to a statement from the Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
“I am proud of the teamwork and the effort that brought this case to a close with a conviction,” Bouchard said. “I hope it sends a clear message to the transnational gangs that there are consequences for criminal behavior in Oakland County. I thank the prosecutors from Attorney General (Dana) Nessel’s office for their successful court work.”
The thefts, which occurred in February 2023, were among the first in what’s become a trend of criminal South American gangs targeting homes in affluent areas of Michigan and other states to swipe cash, jewelry, expensive handbags and other high-dollar items.
“Ruiz-Saldias and four other defendants were arrested in March 2023, in Carmel, Ind.,” according to the sheriff’s office. “Through cooperation between law enforcement in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, similarities were discovered in home invasions and criminal cases were made against the defendants. Three defendants are in custody in Ohio awaiting extradition to Oakland County to face charges here.”
The thefts prompted the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to team with the Michigan AG to track down the transnational gangs responsible, and Nessel announced the charges against Saldias and two other Chilean nationals in December 2023.
The other defendants include Jeremy Martinez, 19, and Tamara Ruiz-Saldias, 36.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified each, all Chilean nationals, as being members of the formally designated South American Theft Group,” according to an AG statement in December 2023 that noted “home invasions connected to this alleged crime ring continue throughout Southwest Michigan.”
“They are super well-trained when they get here, highly organized,” Bouchard told WJBK in March 2024, noting the crimes are made possible by a Visa Waiver Program he has urged Congress to halt. “They look like ninjas, they’re all masked up, gloves; they each have a backpack with their particular set of tools for their job in the burglary.”
The crews, with members from several South American countries, typically include three to five thieves, use rental cars, and focus on homes that abut wooded areas that allow them to approach unnoticed. They target valuable, easy to carry items like jewelry, designer bags, credit cards, cash and clothes, according to police.
“The Chileans (are methodical), while the Columbians and Venezuelans can be more opportunistic and willing to resort to violence,” Bouchard told WDIV.
Despite the coordinated effort to address the thefts, they continued throughout 2024, in April, August, October, and November.
In September, Oakland County Circuit Judge Victoria Valentine sentenced two Columbians, Michel Alba Rincon, 39, and Geovanny Castellanos-Forero, 27, to between nine months and 15 years in prison for home invasions in Troy in August.
In December, Novi police arrested Vania Herrara Valdes, a 21-year-old Chilean national in the country illegally, for home invasions there, though three other suspects escaped despite an extensive search involving multiple police agencies, according to The Detroit News.
Bouchard said at the time Valdes entered into the U.S. using the Visa Waiver Program, then overstayed.
“When we’ve got 100% of the people that we’ve caught for high-end burglaries with the same MO all coming from that program, that tells me there’s a problem,” Bouchard told WJBK.
