OSHKOSH — The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office says members of what likely is an international criminal network targeting Asian Jewelry store owners was behind a burglary Wednesday at a home outside of Oshkosh.
The burglary targeted the home of an Asian business owner located in a secluded area of the town of Algoma notable for its higher value homes, according to law enforcement.
The victims own two jewelry stores and the burglars broke into a safe at the home and made off with cash and jewelry valued at over $100,000.
Similar burglaries go back to at least 2020, with multiple incidents documented in a bulletin released by the Douglas County Sheriff Omaha Nebraska.
Authorities say the suspects are operating out of Houston, Texas and originally are from Honduras.
The suspects are sophisticated, investigators say, minimizing cellphone use, also using WiFi disabling equipment so WiFi based camera do not detect them on video.
Two WiFi based Ring doorbell cameras were disabled during the the burglary Wednesday and no video was captured.
The suspects have been identified as staying at Hampton Inns, nearby to one of the jewelry stores.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office says the state of Massachusetts also broke up a ring practicing in the same exact manner, targeting Asian jewelry store owner’s residences in 2018 and indicted multiple individuals on 95 counts of home invasion burglaries.
Any agencies having similar burglaries are encouraged to contact Det. Ron Timm of the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office in Oshkosh, WI . Our Case # is #24-1316
