A Mexican national residing in Connecticut was sentenced to two years in prison in Rhode Island for conspiring to target and rob homes owned by individuals of predominantly Asian descent in multiple states.
Basneyareth Rebollar-Martinez, 28, of Stamford, Conn., has confessed her crimes to a federal judge, according to the announcement made by Zachary Cunha, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. Following her admission, she has been sentenced and will also be placed under three years of federal supervised release.
Rebollar-Martinez will also be required to pay $722,420 in restitution to the victims affected by her crimes. Additionally, once she completes her prison sentence, she may face deportation.
On September 12, 2023, Rebollar-Martinez confessed her guilt to a charge of conspiring to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. According to prosecutors, she openly admitted before a federal judge that she, along with several others, collaborated to burglarize and attempt to burglarize a minimum of 10 residences in at least eight different states between July 2022 and January 2023.
Crimes have been reported in various states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
The criminals specifically targeted Asian residences because they believed that these homes would have a substantial amount of cash, valuable jewelry, heirlooms, and other significant items.
According to court statements and documents, forensic audits of Rebollar-Martinez’s cell phones, as well as those of her associates, uncovered photographs and communications that indicated the involvement of the conspirators in surveilling the victims. The surveillance activities involved the use of drones and GPS tags on vehicles. Specifically, the victims were closely monitored at their places of work, which included Chinese restaurants and nail salons.
According to prosecutors, during the targeting of a residence, certain individuals would act as lookouts in nearby areas, while others would serve as drivers, dropping off and picking up their co-conspirators at assigned spots. Simultaneously, additional members of the conspiracy would forcibly enter the targeted residences.
According to prosecutors, the stolen goods were then taken to another location and sold for profit after the burglaries occurred.
Homeland Security Investigations, with the help of various police departments along the East Coast, has been conducting an investigation into the case.
