4 men arrested for 43 burglaries targeting South Asians across Massachusetts
Four men from Rhode Island have been arrested for their involvement in 43 burglaries that targeted people of South Asian descent across 25 towns in Massachusetts.
Key points:
- Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan revealed that the men — linked to a gang based in Providence — were involved in an organized theft ring between July 2018 and March 2024, with their burglaries totaling over $4 million in stolen goods.
- Jovan Lemon, 29; Paul Lemon, 30; Steven Berdugo, 28; and Paul Miller, 46, were arrested at their homes on Friday morning following a nine-month investigation. Miller is reportedly the father of Jovan and Paul.
The details:
- All four men were formally charged by a Middlesex Grand Jury on April 18 with a combined total of 95 counts of unarmed burglary and daytime breaking and entering into residential properties with the intention to commit a felony.
- According to Ryan, the thieves demonstrated sophistication, avoiding surveillance and using Wi-Fi jammers to thwart detection. They selectively targeted victims based on their ethnicity and gathered information to strike when families were away from home.
- The men allegedly stole valuable pieces of jewelry such as diamonds and other gems with individual values of up to $75,000, as well as gold bracelets, necklaces, earrings and significant amounts of cash.
- “We lose the sense of belonging and safety and security,” Samir Desai, one of the victims, told Boston 25 News. “We should be pressing some kind of a hate crime on this. My hope is that we continue our alertness, our vigilance so it doesn’t happen to us again.”
- The men are currently held in Middlesex County House of Corrections. Their arraignments are scheduled for this week.
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