QuickTake:

The announcement singles out one suspect as identifying short-term rentals for the group to stay. Eugene police on Oct. 9 arrested seven, including the suspect who made a federal court appearance Thursday, after executing a search warrant at an Airbnb on Skyline Boulevard.

A suspect charged with a burglary that Eugene police say targeted an Asian American household now faces federal prosecution along with six co-conspirators, a major development in a string of crimes against Asian residents in Eugene and across the state.

Derinson Martinez-Grandas, 34, appeared Thursday, Nov. 6, in U.S. District Court in Eugene after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint alleging conspiracy to transmit stolen property, according to a statement by the U.S. attorney’s office.

In their statement, prosecutors said Martinez-Grandas, a Colombian national, secured short-term housing rentals for a crew that in early October burglarized homes in Eugene, Salem, and Auburn, Washington; the alleged crimes took place days apart, beginning Oct. 3 in Washington state.

Eugene police executed a search warrant Oct. 9 on Skyline Boulevard and arrested seven suspects, including Martinez-Grandas, also known as Denison Martinez, and Thursday, federal prosecutors cited evidence they say linked the men to the crimes.

“Upon execution of the warrant, investigators recovered money and property believed to be burglarized from the various residences, digital devices believed to be used by the burglary crew, evidence of money wires to Bogota, Colombia, and various Colombian travel documentation, including passports,” according to the statement Thursday.

Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner on Oct. 23 said “a jamming device that jams Wi-Fi, which then oftentimes shuts down surveillance video,” had been commonly used in targeted burglaries dating back to July of last year. Police have at times given different estimates about when the string of burglaries began, but as recently as October, said more than 22 burglaries shared similar characteristics since late 2023.

Skinner spoke at a public safety forum organized by the Asian American Council of Oregon, where citizens asked about how to stay safe. U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E. Bradford in a statement described how the recent crimes hurt communities.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said that of the three burglaries listed, all the victims are Asian business owners.

“This multi-state operation deliberately targeted hardworking families and struck at the very core of personal safety – the victims’ own homes – instilling fear throughout multiple communities,” Bradford said.

The Asian American Council of Oregon in a statement Thursday evening said: “We are profoundly grateful for the teamwork of a broad spectrum of law enforcement agencies and their tireless efforts. We look forward to seeing justice for the Asian American families victimized by these burglaries.”

The announcement by the U.S. attorney’s office named only one other co-conspirator as having appeared in court, William Estiven Rodriguez-Gaviria, 26, who appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Arizona.

All seven of those arrested by Eugene police after executing the Skyline Boulevard search warrant were charged in Lane County Circuit Court with first-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary.

But six of the seven had paid $10,000 to secure their pretrial release from Lane County Jail.

In a statement earlier this month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced four Colombian nationals linked to the burglaries had been living in the United States without authorization and they had been detained by ICE on Oct. 15. Online records in recent days had shown Derinson Martinez-Grandas being held at an ICE detention facility in Tacoma, Washington.

Lane County District Attorney Christopher Parosa, in an Oct. 23 interview, said that rather than allow any defendants to remain in ICE custody, he would seek to prosecute them locally for their crimes.

In a statement released Thursday by federal prosecutors, Parosa said: “The District Attorney’s Office is solely interested in seeing these individuals held to account for the victimization of our community members. We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in helping local law enforcement achieve that end.”