SAN JOSE — Authorities on Wednesday announced a joint law-enforcement operation that netted the arrests of three suspects who together allegedly stole about $1 million worth of jewelry, designer purses and cash by targeting Asian families living in the South Bay.
The three men targeted families in San Jose, Cupertino, Saratoga, Campbell and Mountain View starting in June 2024, stealing at least 700 items across nearly 80 separate burglaries, San Jose police Chief Paul Joseph said at a news conference. Officials expect the number of robberies associated with this burglary ring to increase as they connect unsolved cases to the suspects.
“We know that the impact a home burglary has on a family is tremendous and long lasting, and we’re committed to doing everything in our power to protect you and bring any remaining suspects to justice,” Joseph said. “We hope that the arrest of this case will begin to restore the sense of security that was stolen from these families.”
The three suspects were identified as 25-year-old Alberto Ibarra Vallejo, 28-year-old Gonzalo Valencia Ramos and 46-year-old Jaime Martinez Arroyo. They were arrested Jan. 16 by SJPD officers with the assistance of the Stockton Police SWAT Team, Joseph said; the suspects are residents of Stockton, Hayward and French Camp, he added.
In the arrest operation, authorities uncovered evidence, including hundreds of jewelry pieces, foreign currency, family heirlooms, luxury watches and purses, Joseph said. They also found five firearms, Joseph said, adding that at least three were confirmed to have been stolen.
Before a connection was made between the robberies, they were investigated individually by local police departments, Joseph added. As of Wednesday, there were 30 cases in San Jose, 20 in Mountain View, 10 in Campbell and 18 in Cupertino and Saratoga, he said.
“It’s hard to overstate the immense fear and terror that people feel when they know that a neighbor’s home has just been broken into — all the more so when people are being targeted on the basis of their identity,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said. “Sadly, we’ve become all too familiar with hate, especially anti-Asian hate, here in the Bay Area in recent years, but we will not allow it to become normalized. We will continue to call it out, to seek it out, and to put a stop to it.”
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said that his office is pursuing the “most serious criminal charges” for the three suspects, adding that they are already facing 72 felony counts of burglary. Rosen dropped the thick complaint packet on the podium with a thud to illustrate “the weight and the seriousness of the crimes that these individuals committed,” he said.
Authorities also said they will seek hate crime enhancements for the suspects’ sentencing because they targeted AAPI communities.
“They’re looking at spending the rest of their lives in prison, where they should be,” Rosen said.
San Jose Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei, who represents San Jose’s west side, where many of the burglaries took place, said that residents have lived for months in “deep fear for their personal safety.”
The families whose homes were burglarized suffered not only the theft but also the emotional toll of losing family heirlooms and knowing their homes had been breached.
Shruti, who did not share her last name due to privacy concerns, said that her San Jose home was burglarized while her family was at a friend’s home to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali.
“It was supposed to be the happiest day of the year,” she said.
Shruti added that many South Asian families buy gold jewelry as an investment, and that some is passed down through families creating sentimental value.
“It’s not just the value of the stuff,” Shruti added. “It was more stuff from my grandmother, who is no more, and that was definitely mental stress to us … We were not able to live happily in our own house.”