Community
###
News Story-Moorpark SATG Arrests
| Nature of Incident: | Four Arrests Made of South American Theft Group | ||||
| Report Number: | 2022-104113 | ||||
| Location: | 15500 Block of Doris Court, Moorpark CA. | ||||
| Date & Time: | October 21st, 1:00 PM | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Moorpark Patrol Station Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit Orange County Sheriff’s South County Directed Enforcement Team |
||||
| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
|
North Hollywood North Hollywood Tarzana Tarzana |
25 22 61 27 |
|||
| Narrative: | |||||
| On October 21st, 2022, detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s – Moorpark Investigations Bureau and the Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit, with the assistance of detectives from the Orange County Sheriff’s – South County Directed Enforcement Team, arrested four men from Chile, who are believed to be members of a South American Theft Group. South American Theft Groups, or SATG’s for short, operate in small teams of highly skilled criminals who originate from several South American countries, including Chile and Colombia. SATG teams generally consist of three or four members with specific skills and responsibilities. SATG teams are known to commit residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, home invasion robberies, business robberies, and thefts from vehicles using very specific methods in order to maximize success in their crimes and evade capture by law enforcement. This case began on the afternoon of August 5th, 2022, when two suspects attempted to break into a home in the 15500 Block of Doris Court in the City of Moorpark. The would-be burglars were scared off before taking any property when they realized the homeowner was still inside the residence. Patrol Officers and Detectives from the Moorpark Investigations Bureau responded to the scene and secured several pieces of evidence that strongly indicated the attempted burglary was a “crew-style” burglary that was likely committed by an SATG team. Moorpark detectives immediately sought assistance from the Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit, who are recognized experts in the investigation of SATGs. Over the next ten weeks, the two detective teams conducted a joint investigation using a variety of investigative tools and techniques. During the investigation, detectives identified Jose Enrique Soto Fuentes and Marvin Pissani Reyes, both Chilean Nationals, as being involved in the attempted burglary. On the morning of October 21st, 2022, detectives received information that Soto Fuentes and Pissani Reyes, were in the city of Mission Viejo in Orange County and had possibly just committed a vehicle burglary. Ventura County Detectives notified detectives with the Orange County Sheriff’s – South County Directed Enforcement Team of the possible crime. Orange County DET detectives located the men, along with two other Chilean Nationals, identified as Ricardo Francisco Martinez Guerrero and Danilo Eduardo Navas Fuica in the city of Laguna Nigel and arrested them after determining they had broken into several vehicles that were parked in the lot of a nearby hiking trail. After the arrests, Ventura County detectives served two search warrants at residences in the Los Angeles Districts of Tarzana and North Hollywood and located several additional pieces of evidence. The four men were booked at the Orange County Jail and face charges of vehicle burglary, identity theft and conspiracy to commit a crime with their respective bails set at $50,000.00 each. Soto Fuentes and Pissani Reyes are also expected to be transported back to Ventura County to face charges of attempted residential burglary. |
|||||
| Prepared by: | Detective Sergeant Kevin Lynch | ||||
| News Release Date: | October 27, 2022 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Sergeant Kevin Lynch [email protected] (805) 532-2716 |
||||
| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Victor Fazio YES NO |
||||
###
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511