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New York Post
Tren de Aragua gangbanger was cut loose by a Chicago judge before violent Denver jewelry heist
By Jennie Taer,
3 hours ago
A member of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang was released by a Chicago judge despite a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain him — just a month before he was charged in a violent jewelry store heist in Dever , The Post can reveal.
Jean Torres-Roman was arrested this month in the shocking caught-on-camera robbery from June 25, in which two female staffers at a Denver jewelry store were pistol-whipped and threatened with death. Authorities have since identified the 21-year-old as a member of the Venezuelan prison gang.
But just a month earlier, Torres-Roman was arrested over 1,000 miles away in Chicago and charged with unlawful use of a weapon after he was caught trying to stash a stolen gun, according to CWB Chicago .
Jean Torres-Roman’s mugshot, which was taken after his arrest in Chicago. Chicago Police Department
Cops busted him on May 5 after a gas station security guard reported hearing gunshots and spotted Torres-Roman running from the gunfire while holding a gun.
Security footage showed three men walking away from a parked car before Torres-Roman could be seen running back to the vehicle holding his waist, CWB Chicago reported.
He could be seen pacing before placing the gun under the passenger seat of the car. He also dumped a box of 43 rounds of ammunition under a nearby garbage can, according to a police report.
After the arrest, ICE lodged a detainer, informing local law enforcement that it planned to take him into custody. Torres-Roman crossed the border in El Paso, Texas, illegally in September 2023, according to Homeland Security sources.
However, Cook County Judge David Kelly ordered his release, flouting ICE’s wishes. Chicago is a sanctuary city, meaning local law enforcement doesn’t have to cooperate with ICE detainers.
Torres-Roman then failed to show up in court for a scheduled hearing on May 13, according to CWB Chicago.
Eight men posing as customers terrorized women working at a jewelry store in Denver as they carried out the violent heist. Facebook / Lidia Tena
After being cut loose, the gangbanger fled to Denver, where he and seven others carried out the brutal jewelry store robbery.
Following the heist, Torres-Roman fled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he was caught by federal authorities, who kicked him back to the Denver County Sheriff’s Office this month.
A former ICE field office director for Denver, John Fabbricatore, told The Post that the illegal migrant’s multi-state crime spree can be blamed on progressive sanctuary laws.
“Sanctuary policies do not protect United States citizens, legal residents, or even the undocumented migrants who often fall prey to these gangs. Instead, they protect criminal elements by allowing them to hide in the shadows of failed policies,” Fabbricatore said.
Homeland Security agents arrested Jean Torres-Roman in Las Cruces, New Mexico, after he fled Denver. HSI El Paso
Tren de Aragua, whose name translates to “The Aragua Train,” referencing the Aragua region of Venezuela, has started to gain a foothold in the US amid the border crisis.
Roman-Torres’ accomplices remain at large. Denver Metro Crime Stoppers
Border agents only started following the group last year, recording 70 apprehensions of its members at the border, according to federal data .
However, many are getting through the border vetting procedures by refraining from getting any of the gang’s signature tattoos, sources told The Post.
“We have zero access to other nations’ criminal databases and with this administration’s uselessness in deterring these criminals, they will keep entering undetected,” the source moaned.
There have been more than 100 federal criminal investigations opened into the gang, NBC News reported.
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