Asian American Homes Targeted by National South American Burglary Ring
By Romen Basu Borsellino | 08 Dec, 2025

Authorities have evidence that the burglary network expressly targeted Asian American homes but we can only speculate why.

When it became clear that the victims of a string of break-ins in the Greater Denver, Colorado area were all Asian American, there was no doubt that this was a coordinated attack. 

What was not yet clear was the scope. 

San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph announces the arrest of three suspects tied to 78 burglaries

And then the same pattern of AAPI-targeted burglaries began to repeat itself in Franklin, WI.  And West Chester Township, OH.  And Eugene OR.  And Abington Township, PA.  And Queens, NY.  And Jacksonville, FL to name just a few.

Today after hundreds of break-ins, millions in theft, and an immeasurable blow to Asian Americans' sense of safety, we’re finally getting answers.

The Culprit

Video surveillance footage shows the perpetrators of a home break-in in the Denver Metro area [Footage provided to ABC News by Lisa Nguyen]

In January of this year, the San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph announced the arrests of Alberto Ibarra Vallejo, 25; Gonzalo Valencia Ramos, 28; and Jaime Martinez Arroyo, 46, who had together robbed 80 homes in the Bay Area.

As more details emerged, both state and federal authorities alleged that this was handiwork of a South American crime ring.  The seven arrests so far have all been of Colombian nationals.

The evidence that they sought to specifically target Asian Americans is overwhelming, and includes specific searches of “Asian owned businesses” found on their cellphones.

According to Police Chief Patrick Malloy of Abington Township, PA, the perpetrators “would go and use records of real estate and tax to identify Asian names and Asian business owners.”

In some cases, Air Tags were even planted on the business owners so that the perpetrators could monitor where they were and when their homes were unoccupied. 

They’d use WiFi jammers to subvert alarm systems and dress as utility workers when entering the home. 

So that answers the “how?” of it all. But the question remains: Why Asians?

A photo provided to the New York Times by victim Chong Min Kim depicts the aftermath of a break-in at the Kims' residence that occurred while the couple was working at their grocery store

Cash At Home

For all we know maybe this was payback after an Asian American was caught sleeping with a Colombian crime boss’s wife.  There are, however, some even more plausible theories:

Like the fact that Asian Americans are known to keep large sums of cash at home.

As Fran Campell, a representative for Colorado’s Asian Chamber of Commerce told ABC:

"A lot of Asian businesses do keep a lot of cash at home. It’s kind of a cultural norm for Asian businesses to hold cash at home rather than in a bank.  It’s actually what got them through Covid.”

There are a few reasons why this might be a common practice among the AAPI community. 

For one, there seems to be a high level of distrust in Asian banks, a sentiment that immigrants might have brought with them to the United States.

As Denver victim Lisa Nguyen explained to ABC news after her own small business was targeted, "A lot of the [Asian] community may have come from countries where communism or various different types of governments existed, which has caused the community culturally to not have a trust in banks,"

One source of distrust may have been the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, which began in Thailand, spreading fear of economic institutions across much of Southeast Asia. 

Today, 90% of transactions in Laos, Cambodia, Nepal and Pakistan are cash-based.

Even Japan’s economy, despite being particularly technologically advanced, is 60%cash-based when it comes to daily transactions. 

Set Schedules

Asian Americans have the lowest unemployment rate of any demographic in the US.  Suffice it to say, there is a lower chance that they’re simply sitting around at home on any given day.

When it comes to the nature of their jobs, Asian Americans have the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the country.

Per the US Small Business Association, Asian Americans own over 3 million firms, employ over 5 million workers, and contribute to nearly $1 trillion in sales.

That type of hustle typically requires long hours at work, which the perpetrators of these crimes seemed to be well aware of.

In some instances, they would go to the victim’s place of employment and slash their tires prior to the break-in.  This would limit their  ability to race home once their security system was triggered.

One can’t help but wonder the extent to which these mob bosses combed through countless pieces of census data and labor statistics to learn the extent of Asian American’s high employment rates.  Not to mention their incomes.

Crazy Rich Asians

Simply put, Asian Americans are the wealthiest demographic in the US. 

Their household incomes stand at about $108k/year, which is 46% higher than the median household income of other races. 

24% of US Asian households will earn $150K or more this year.

And, notably, Asian Americans do not simply hoard their wealth.  They are known to spend it on high-end goods.  According to one study, they spend 21% more than the average household.

This was not lost on the perpetrators who came away not just with cash but precious jewelry, high-end electronics and designer handbags.

Media Perception

And maybe, the perpetrators simply thought that Asian Americans would be less likely than other demographics to go to the police. 

Per the New York Times, “Linguistic and cultural barriers can make Asian immigrants more hesitant to report crimes, the police say.”

Of course, such a perception is not necessarily in line with reality.  If Asian Americans are hesitant to go to the police, that doesn’t mean they roll over for criminals.

In fact, Asian Americans have a long history of protecting themselves with firearms in this country. 

The infamous 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the police’s killing of Rodney King resulted in the destruction of countless small businesses in Koreatown.  As such, a growing number of Koreans in LA took up firearms in order to protect their businesses after feeling like the police were not doing enough.

The US witnessed a similar uptick in AAPI gun ownership following the spike in COVID-related hate crimes. 

Coming Together

While these break-ins have caused the AAPI community massive losses — cash, material goods, retirement saving, priceless family heirlooms, and a sense of pride, safety, and trust — it is at least a relief that no serious physical injuries have been reported.

And this story is yet another one of the Asian American community banding together in the face of adversity.

As Lisa Ngueyn stated following the break-in of her small business, "We’re paying attention. We’re coming together as a community, and we will fight this," said Nguyen.

Anyone thinking of targeting Asian Americans would be wise to remember this.  Plus, many still have those guns.