3 sentenced in burglaries targeting Asian American business owners in Colorado, Wyoming

Sady Swanson, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·3 min read
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Three people have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a series of burglaries that targeted Asian American business owners in Colorado and Wyoming.

The burglaries occurred in January through July of 2019, and about 20% of them occurred in Larimer County, according to the Colorado Attorney General's Office.

A total of 26 burglaries occurred at the residences of Asian American business owners in Fort Collins, Timnath, Estes Park, Greeley, Longmont, Fort Morgan, Grand Junction, Monument, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Evergreen, Centennial, Parker, Frisco, Silverthorne and Glenwood Springs in Colorado and in Cheyenne, Wyoming, according to the grand jury indictment.

Fort Collins Police Services worked with the attorney general's office and other local law enforcement to connect these burglaries to four individuals:

  • Carlos Florez Molina, who pleaded guilty May 25 to one count of violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, a Class 2 felony, and theft, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison on July 29. He was also ordered to pay about $1.4 million in restitution, according to court records.

  • Santiago Hoyos-Gaviria, who pleaded guilty in March 2021 to one count of violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, a Class 2 felony, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay about $1.4 million in restitution, according to court records.

  • Yenny Rodas-Florez, who pleaded guilty to criminal mischief valued at more than $1 million, a Class 2 felony, in May 2021, and was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison. She was also ordered to pay about $1.1 million in restitution, according to court records.

  • Jhon Florez Molina, who has not been arrested and is believed to be in Colombia, according to the attorney general's office.

A statewide grand jury indicted Hoyos-Gaviria, Rodas-Florez and Jhon Florez Molina in July 2020 on 46 counts related to the burglaries and thefts, according to the attorney general's office. Carlos Florez Molina was not named in the indictment.

Investigators say the defendants researched the Asian American-owned businesses — primarily restaurants but also others, including a nail salon — and surveilled the business owners, then broke into their homes during the day or early evening while they were at work, according to the attorney general's office.

Investigators used cellphone records to connect the defendants to the burglaries, according to the indictment.

The total losses from the burglaries is estimated at $1.4 million in stolen cash and jewelry, according to the attorney general's office.

“I am proud of my department’s hard work to bring justice for the 26 business owners who were the targets of this pernicious home burglary crime ring," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in the news release. "These were not random burglaries. All the victims were Asian families who owned local small businesses. These types of targeted crimes can send a chill through a community, and we are committed to holding accountable those who rob others of their personal property and their privacy."

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 3 sentenced in burglaries targeting Asian American business owners