4 men arrested for 43 burglaries targeting South Asians across Massachusetts
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Four men from Rhode Island have been arrested for their involvement in 43 burglaries that targeted people of South Asian descent across 25 towns in Massachusetts.
Key points:
- Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan revealed that the men — linked to a gang based in Providence — were involved in an organized theft ring between July 2018 and March 2024, with their burglaries totaling over $4 million in stolen goods.
- Jovan Lemon, 29; Paul Lemon, 30; Steven Berdugo, 28; and Paul Miller, 46, were arrested at their homes on Friday morning following a nine-month investigation. Miller is reportedly the father of Jovan and Paul.
The details:
- All four men were formally charged by a Middlesex Grand Jury on April 18 with a combined total of 95 counts of unarmed burglary and daytime breaking and entering into residential properties with the intention to commit a felony.
- According to Ryan, the thieves demonstrated sophistication, avoiding surveillance and using Wi-Fi jammers to thwart detection. They selectively targeted victims based on their ethnicity and gathered information to strike when families were away from home.
- The men allegedly stole valuable pieces of jewelry such as diamonds and other gems with individual values of up to $75,000, as well as gold bracelets, necklaces, earrings and significant amounts of cash.
- “We lose the sense of belonging and safety and security,” Samir Desai, one of the victims, told Boston 25 News. “We should be pressing some kind of a hate crime on this. My hope is that we continue our alertness, our vigilance so it doesn’t happen to us again.”
- The men are currently held in Middlesex County House of Corrections. Their arraignments are scheduled for this week.
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