Four held for targeting Indian Americans in Massachusetts

Burglary ring carried out at least 43 burglaries across 25 towns in the state between 2018 and 2024

Four Rhode Island men accused of running a sophisticated burglary ring that targeted Indian American and South Asian American households in Massachusetts over a six-year span have been ordered held without bail.

The suspects allegedly carried out at least 43 burglaries across 25 communities in Massachusetts, stealing millions in jewels and cash, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Massachusetts State Police Colonel John Mawn Jr.

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Jovan Lemon, 29, of Providence, RI, Paul Lemon, 30, of Warwick, RI, Steven Berdugo, 28, of Providence, RI and Paul Miller, 46 of Woonsocket, RI have been arrested and charged in connection with the burglaries between 2018 and 2024, according to a media release.

The defendants are part of an organized burglary ring with ties to a violent Providence-based gang known to law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island.

The defendants were directly indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on April 18, 2024 for a total of 95 counts of unarmed burglary and breaking and entering a dwelling house in the daytime with intent to commit a felony.

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The incidents giving rise to the charges occurred in the communities of Billerica, Boxborough, Carlisle, Easton, Hopkinton, Lincoln, Weston, Sudbury, Andover, Bellingham, Boxford, Franklin, Hudson, Littleton, Medway, Middleton, Millis, North Attleboro, Norwell, Pembroke, Seekonk, Sharon, Southborough, Wenham, and Westwood between July 21, 2018, and March 30, 2024.

The residents of the majority of homes were persons of Indian or South Asian heritage. Investigators believe that they were targeted based on their ethnicity relying on a belief that their households were more likely to contain precious metals, jewelry and other valuable heirlooms, according to the release.

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Property reported stolen in the breaks included many pieces of diamonds and other gems and studded jewelry with values of individual pieces up to approximately $75,000; gold bracelets, necklaces and earrings and large quantities of cash.

In several instances, the property had been secured in locked safes, weighing up to 400 pounds, which the perpetrators removed from the residence along with the stolen valuables. The aggregate reported value of the stolen property exceeds $4 million.

“The defendants in this case were very sophisticated. They targeted victims based on their ethnicity and then gathered information about their targets in order to strike when families were not at home. They were disciplined in concealing their identity, avoiding alarms and minimizing cell phone use before, during and after the breaks and using Wi-Fi jammers. Despite these challenges and the complicated nature and breadth of this investigation, law enforcement collaboratively and persistently worked to today begin the process of holding these four defendants accountable,” said District Attorney Marian Ryan.

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The arrests are the result of a nine-month investigation by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney’s Office, and the Massachusetts State Police Division of Homeland Security, including the MACrimeNet program operated by the MSP Fusion Center, according to the release.

The MACrimeNet program provides police from different departments capabilities to obtain and share intelligence about criminal acts and patterns, suspects, and other relevant information to help solve complex or cross-jurisdictional cases.