Three Colombian nationals are accused of operating a burglary ring in Lake County, Illinois, that targeted business owners of Asian descent, police allege.
Kevin E. Vega-Ortiz, 28 years old, Diego Escobar-Medina, 30 years old, and Karen Arguello-Osorio, 29 years old, all from Colombia, were arrested and charged in November with residential burglary and possession of burglary tools.
According to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, Vega-Ortiz, Escobar-Medina, and Arguello-Osorio were witnessed by law enforcement officers burglarizing one particular property and were subsequently stopped in their getaway vehicle and arrested.
As part of the arrest, officers recovered a pillowcase filled with jewelry which was identified by the victims as their personal property. According to officers, Arguello-Osorio knocked on the door of the residence before alerting Vega-Ortiz and Escobar-Medina that no one was home and they could enter.
A Lake County judge has since denied bail for all three suspects.
The case is only the latest in a surge of crime tourism. Also in November, three Colombian illegal aliens were arrested and charged after scamming an elderly woman out of more than $20,000.
Likewise, in Oakland County, Michigan, four Chilean nationals were arrested in October after allegedly operating a theft ring where they carried out violent smash-and-grab attacks on jewelry stores.
That same month, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard warned that some illegal aliens are flooding across the southern border for the sole purpose of burglarizing Americans.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
