Three charged in year-long jewelry thefts
Suspects from New York found with laptop computer, GPS unit
Police have arrested and charged three individuals suspected of being involved in more than 25 burglaries that mostly targeted Indian families in Fairfax County.
On Thursday, Fairfax County Police charged the suspects, all from New York, with nine felonies in connection with the string of gold, jewelry and document burglaries.
Francisco Gray, 39, of Nassau County, N.Y.; Dagoberto Soto-Ramirez, 27, and his wife, Melinda Soto, 33, both of Queens, N.Y., are currently in custody. Each is charged with four counts of burglary; four counts of grand larceny; and one count of conspiracy to commit burglary. They are being held without bond in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Attorney information for the suspects was not immediately available.
U.S. Marshals working with the police burglary task force, which was formed specifically to target the Fairfax burglaries, spotted a sport utility vehicle with two men and a woman inside who fit the description of suspects in the burglaries. They stopped the vehicle at Moore Road and Clifton Road in Clifton about 1:30 p.m., police said on Tuesday.
The task force, comprised of U.S. Marshals and Fairfax County police officers from the Sully, West Springfield, Franconia and Fair Oaks district stations, has been patrolling targeted areas across the county for several weeks, said police spokesman Bud Walker. Overall, the task force consisted of over 30 law enforcement officers.
"It's been an extensive operation. U.S. Marshals literally just saw them drive by and saw that they fit the description," Walker said.
Fairfax County police executed a search warrant and searched the sport utility vehicle the three suspects were in when they were stopped. Investigators found a laptop computer, a GPS unit, and a police scanner tuned to Fairfax County police radio channels.
The home of Raman Kumar, of Centreville, was burglarized in February. He has since rallied the Indian American community and organized communication efforts among other victims. Kumar said Thursday he feels relieved that there are suspects in custody.
"I feel excited and I have spoken with some fellow victims and they feel both excited and a sense of relief as well," he said. "The task force did help, and news from the media also helped, as did the town meetings that were held to let people know about these burglaries."
The arrests mark the beginning of a new phase of the investigation that is expected to include multiple jurisdictions in at least two states, Walker said.
"We anticipate many more charges," Walker said.



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