Police arrested three suspects believed to be part of an international theft group for allegedly surveilling their victims with hidden cameras to break into their homes.
Carlos Ocampo-Carrillo, 47, with a residential address of Flushing, New York, is charged with assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, carrying a dangerous weapon, two counts of conspiracy, breaking and entering, and possession of burglarious tools.
Diana Maria Alvarado-Rosano, 34, with a residential address of Flushing, New York, is charged with providing false information following an arrest, conspiracy, and possession of burglarious tools.
Lizbeth Hernandez-Gantiva, 23, with an address out of New York City, New York, is charged with conspiracy and possession of burglarious tools.
All three are citizens of Columbia and may face federal immigration charges, according to authorities.
A Braintree Police spokesperson says the trio was arrested on July 11 after an extensive investigation.
On June 20, two of the suspects allegedly spent hours inside an empty home in the Messina Woods neighborhood. Officials say their methods matched the methods of an organized International Theft Group, also known as South American Theft Groups.
The group is known to use extensive surveillance, GPS technology, surreptitious video feeds, and counter-surveillance to establish patterns of behavior for their victims.
Two weeks later, police say an alert neighbor found a camera hidden in the bushes across from the house where the burglary occurred. Pictures show the camera covered in leaves to camouflage with the surroundings.
Detectives determined the camera had been visited by one of the suspects after the June 20 burglary, so police developed a surveillance plan.
On July 11, authorities say they noticed a man dressed as a landscaper emerging from a victim’s yard and walking a “circuitous” route towards a black Audi SUV with Florida plates.
Officers surveilled the Audi as it left town.
Around 10:30 p.m., the same black Audi reportedly parked in the same area adjacent to the Messina Woods neighborhood. A man, later identified as Ocampo-Carrillo, dressed in all black, wearing a mask, and carrying a backpack got out of the vehicle and ducked into a wood line before reappearing in the victim’s yard, according to authorities.
Ocampo-Carrillo was allegedly seen walking towards the hidden camera before disappearing. He emerged 10 minutes later.
Police then converged on the vehicle, where Alvarado-Rosano and Hernandez-Gantiva were sitting while pursuing Ocampo-Carrillo on foot. The two women were arrested without incident. Authorities say Ocampo-Carrillo was taken into custody after a “significant struggle.”
He refused identification attempts and was held on cash bail. He was later fingerprinted at jail and found to have criminal histories in both California and New York.
All three were arraigned at Quincy District Court.
“The Braintree Police Department would like to thank Immigration and Custom Enforcement – Emergency Removal Operations (Boston) for their assistance in this case,” police said in a statement.
No further information was immediately available.
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