QuickTake:

A defendant in an alleged burglary ring targeting Asian American business owners in Oregon and Washington must be kept in custody, a judge ruled after a court hearing. Advocates for the Asian American community had pushed for detention over concerns that suspects might flee, as has happened with past arrests.

This story has been clarified to state when Eugene police say the targeted burglaries began.

A 34-year-old Colombian man must remain in custody after he was indicted on a conspiracy charge in connection with burglaries targeting Asian American business owners, a federal judge ordered Wednesday, Dec. 3.

More than a dozen people representing and supporting the local Asian American community heard Chief U.S. District Judge Michael McShane deliver the order following a detention hearing in Eugene.

Derinson Martinez-Grandas, one of seven Colombian nationals facing charges both in federal and state courts, appeared but did not speak.

Martinez-Grandas has been held in detention after being picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE detained him at least a day after bail was posted for his release from Lane County Jail on a burglary charge, according to statements made in court by his defense attorney, Irina Hughes, with the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

On Wednesday, Hughes argued that Martinez-Grandas could have fled earlier but remained, going to police after his bail release to try to have them release a vehicle they had taken as part of their investigation.

“He stayed in town and waited for another meeting … at which point he was detained by immigration,” Hughes said.

McShane, however, noted evidence that Martinez-Grandas fled from Eugene police on the night of Oct. 9 when they attempted to serve a search warrant at an Airbnb on Skyline Boulevard. Prosecutors have stated in court documents that Martinez-Grandas booked the Airbnb.

The night Eugene police went to the Airbnb, they arrested Martinez-Grandas and six others on suspicion of burglarizing a north Eugene home.

In a previous hearing and in court documents, William McLaren, a federal prosecutor, said that a wooded area near the Airbnb was “littered” with jewelry that investigators believe was “scattered by the fleeing burglars.”

Federal prosecutors have alleged that the seven indicted co-conspirators were involved in four burglaries that took place in Oregon and Washington across seven days. They stated in a court document that each “burglary victim is an Asian family who owns and operates a small business.”

“I am finding that the preponderance of evidence does indicate that Mr. Martinez is a flight risk,” McShane said Wednesday.

McShane said that under the law it would be improper to consider at the detention hearing the likelihood of deportation for Martinez-Grandas, so it did not factor into his ruling.

Reaction

Community members in attendance said they were pleased with the judge’s ruling.

Jenny Jonak, a board member for the Asian American Council of Oregon, said she and others want to see those accused of the crimes continue to appear in court rather than be deported by immigration authorities.

“We want to see that process play out and see a trial, and I think that will be very cathartic to the community,” Jonak said.

The seven arrests have not been the only arrests made in burglaries targeting Asian American households, and in the past some defendants have fled.

The Asian American Council of Oregon submitted a letter to McShane expressing their concerns about possibly allowing Martinez-Grandas to be free pending a trial.

While Eugene police have given different dates for when the targeted burglaries began, a spokesperson said Thursday the burglaries began in late 2023. The Asian American Council’s letter stated there have been at least 23 such burglaries since late 2023.

The letter noted the past arrests and difficulty in prosecuting the cases when defendants make bail.

“The individuals flee, and in some cases, participate in additional burglaries targeting Asian Americans in other jurisdictions,” the letter stated. “Our courts have been unable to hold defendants to stand trial, and as a result, it is impossible to break the profit model underlying these crimes.”

Hughes, speaking on behalf of Martinez-Grandas, said that there was a lack of evidence linking him to the burglary conspiracy, stating that he has said he was hired only to make Airbnb reservations and drive people to certain destinations.

McLaren, the federal prosecutor, has also stated that Wi-Fi signal jammers capable of interfering with home security cameras were found in the Eugene Airbnb.

Police have also described the use of ruses in the targeted burglaries, including one in which burglars have claimed to be making food deliveries. Police have also said the burglars do surveillance to find out when the business owners are not likely to be at their homes.

McShane, in ordering Martinez-Grandas detained, said the people involved in the alleged crimes “are not people without resources.”

“This is a sophisticated organization that for better or for worse, Mr. Martinez finds himself associated with,” McShane said.

Jonak said that others outside the Asian American community should be concerned about these crimes.

“Right now, it’s Asian Americans that are the victims, but as we’ve seen, for example, with other crime rings targeting other groups of people, like wealthy athletes, it could be any other group as well, anyone that’s considered an easy target,” Jonak said.