A sophisticated theft ring, allegedly operated by four undocumented immigrants, has been busted in Florida, with the suspects accused of stealing over $1.7 million in goods from nine burglaries targeting mostly Asian American business owners. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd revealed the details of the case during a news conference.
According to Judd, the suspects – Geraldine Galeano-Perez, Milton Ayala-Sierra, Jason Alexander Higuera-Ruiz, and Geiler Orobio-Cabezas – are charged with racketeering and burglary crimes related to the string of burglaries that took place across several counties in Florida, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee, and Collier.
Galeano-Perez, a convicted felon from Colombia, is accused of being the ringleader of the group. She allegedly entered the US illegally in July 2021 and was released into the interior with a Notice to Appear (NTA) before a federal immigration judge. However, she failed to show up for her court hearing in New York and was subsequently ordered deported.
Despite being arrested in New York on drug charges, Galeano-Perez was not turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to the state’s sanctuary policy. She was later arrested in Hillsborough County on burglary charges and is currently being held in Polk County Jail on a $365,000 bail and an ICE hold.
Ayala-Sierra, another suspect, also entered the US illegally in July 2021 and was released with an NTA. However, he ripped off his GPS ankle monitor and was ordered deported in December 2022 after failing to appear before a federal immigration judge. Despite being deported to Colombia in June, Ayala-Sierra is still facing racketeering and burglary charges.
Orobio-Cabezas, who had previously been deported from the US, was arrested in Hillsborough County in April on burglary charges. He is currently being held in Pinellas County Jail facing an illegal re-entry conviction.
Higuera-Ruiz, the fourth suspect, entered the US illegally in December 2021 and was released into the interior. However, he cut off his GPS ankle monitor and is currently at-large.
Sheriff Judd emphasized the need to address the issue of undocumented immigrants committing crimes in the US. “We can stop this, but if we don’t, you’re going to continue to be victims,” he said. “We’re going to continue to chase these people around, but quite frankly, we’d like to use these resources on our homegrown criminals.”
