Suspects arrested in 2 sets of organized crimes across Michigan

METRO DETROIT — After a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving numerous law enforcement agencies and a Michigan Attorney General’s Office task force, suspects have been arrested in two sets of crime sprees across the state.

Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the arrests in what she called “two flagrant crime waves in our state” during a press conference Dec. 11 at the Detroit branch of the attorney general’s office.

One of those sets of arrests involved a transnational crime ring said to be responsible for sophisticated home invasions between Feb. 3 and 11 in Ada Township, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Grosse Pointe Farms, Rochester and Rochester Hills. Nessel said the three suspects now in custody — all of whom are Chilean nationals — have been 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. They are said to be members of what the FBI calls the “South American Theft Group.”

Nessel said the three are currently in custody in Indiana on similar charges; they arrived in Michigan from Los Angeles Feb. 1.

Law enforcement officials said the home invasion suspects targeted affluent areas, and Nessel said the losses “measure in the millions and millions of dollars.” She said the suspects are accused of stealing valuables such as cash, jewelry and safes. They reportedly broke into homes when no one was present, using jammers and other technology to disable alarm systems and security cameras.

“It sounds like a TV show,” Grosse Pointe Shores Public Safety Director Kenneth Werenski said of this South American crime ring, which struck a home in the Shores two years ago. “The truth is stranger than fiction.”

The suspects who were recently arrested didn’t commit the Grosse Pointe Shores home invasion, Werenski said. He said the FBI used DNA and other evidence collected by Shores officers to prosecute suspects in the 2021 string of crimes.

Nessel said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard has assembled a multi-jurisdictional task force that includes more than a dozen southeastern Michigan police departments to combat these types of crimes.

The arrest of these suspects doesn’t mean residents of affluent areas can now rest easy, however.

“This is an ongoing trend,” said Michigan State Police Lt. Steve Temelko, a member of the state’s FORCE Team — Focused Organized Retail Crime Enforcement — and Organized Retail Crime Unit. “There are additional suspects out there that we are looking for.”

He recommended that residents “be vigilant” and report any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods to police as soon as possible. Temelko also advised residents to avoid posting travel information on social media — these suspects target properties when the homeowners aren’t there — and invest in sophisticated surveillance equipment.

“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,” Bouchard said in a press release. “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.”

The Chilean nationals all entered the United States legally, Nessel said.

In a separate set of cases, three suspects who Nessel called an “equally flagrant team” were arrested in connection to a string of organized retail fraud cases at Lululemon and Ulta Beauty stores in and around Michigan between December 2022 and November 2023.

One defendant, 34, of Detroit, is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony; four counts of first-degree retail fraud, a five-year felony; and one count of second-degree retail fraud, a one-year misdemeanor. A second defendant, 20, of Detroit, is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and seven counts of organized retail crime, a five-year felony. The third defendant 20, of Detroit, is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and seven counts of first-degree retail fraud.

However, Nessel said they’re not the only suspects believed to be involved in this group.

“This remains an active investigation,” Nessel said. “There’s more people involved.”

She said Grosse Pointe City Public Safety Detective Michael Narduzzi was the one who first identified the string of what are called “push-out” thefts at Lululemon stores.

The retail fraud suspects are alleged to have struck Lululemon stores in Grosse Pointe City, Ann Arbor, Clinton Township, Birmingham, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Novi and Rochester Hills. They are also said to have struck Ulta Beauty locations in Canton, Northville, Shelby Township and Warren.

Narduzzi said this crime ring has been responsible for about 49 incidents in Michigan and Toledo since last December.

“They’re brazen,” Narduzzi said. “They’re prolific.”

Nessel said the suspects enter stores as a small group, collect as much expensive merchandise as they can carry or wheel out in a shopping cart and run to an awaiting getaway vehicle. The stolen goods are then either sold directly or in bulk to a fence operation. She said these thefts have cost stores more than $200,000 in total.

“This is more than just about things,” Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said. “It is about peace of mind in our communities.”

Because of the FORCE Team — which was formed by the AG’s office in January, with funding from the state Legislature — suspects in these cases face stronger charges and more potential prison time. FORCE includes special agents from the attorney general’s office and MSP and works collaboratively with retailers and local law enforcement, and recently announced a partnership with the FBI’s Detroit Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force.

“Every Michigander deserves to feel safe,” said state Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores.