Men found with $570K in rental home face felonies

Four burglary suspects who were arrested last week at a Town of Grafton short-term rental home with more than a half-million dollars in cash have been charged with felonies in Ozaukee County Circuit Court.

In addition to the cash and a damaged safe, authorities found in the home a list of addresses from throughout Wisconsin, at least three of which were the scenes of previous burglaries, according to a criminal complaint.

Addresses of two Ozaukee County homes are on the list but have not been burglarized, Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles said.

“We have checked both of them and spoke to the homeowners,” she said.

Charged with concealing stolen property are Jhon A. Gonzalez-Caicedo, 27; Dominick Luna, 32; Wilver Manyoma-Mejia, 42; and Andres Mauricio Melvis-Hurtado, 37.

Luna is from Houston, Texas. Gonzalez-Caicedo, Manyoma-Mejia and Melvis-Hurtado use Houston addresses but based on their passports are presumed to be from Columbia and are not U.S. citizens, Knowles said. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the three men are in the country illegally, she said.

The Sheriff’s Office has received administrative warrants from ICE for the arrest of the three Columbian men, Knowles said. However, they won’t be turned over to federal authorities until the Ozaukee County case as well as any cases filed by other jurisdictions are adjudicated, she said.

During a Thursday, Jan. 29, hearing, Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Sandy Williams set bail at $1 million for each of the four men and ordered them not to leave Wisconsin if they are released from custody. They were being held in the Ozaukee County jail as of earlier this week.

According to the complaint, at 11 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, authorities in Ozaukee County were notified that a black Dodge Durango with Nebraska license plates had been used in a Beaver Dam burglary at 6:40 p.m. that day in which $800,000 in cash and jewelry were stolen.

Flock automatic license plate reader cameras indicated the SUV, which Knowles said was rented in Iowa, was in Ozaukee County, and at 3:46 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, sheriff’s deputy Michael Zilke spotted it in the driveway of a home in the 500 block of Lake Shore Road in the Town of Grafton.

Officers from multiple departments surrounded the house, then activated their vehicles’ lights and sirens. Two men fled from the back of the house, but quickly retreated inside.

The Ozaukee County Special Response Team was called to the scene along with a drone team, and after authorities issued commands over a loudspeaker, three men exited the home and were arrested.

A short time later, a fourth man, who had insulation on his clothing, walked out of the home and was arrested.

Zilke entered the home, which Knowles said was rented by Luna from Jan. 26 through Jan. 31, to find a large hole in the ceiling of the living room and insulation similar to that found on one of the men and drywall on the floor. It appeared the man had been hiding in the attic when he fell through the ceiling, the complaint states.

Also in the attic was a white plastic bag containing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In the basement was a safe that had been damaged and opened and several grocery bags containing money.

The  list of more than 30 addresses from throughout the state was found in a toilet. Zilke checked with other law enforcement agencies and learned that some homes on the list had been previously burglarized, with some of the break-ins dating to 2023, the complaint states.

A complete search of the home revealed $570,000 in cash as well as a necklace and watch, all of which were consistent with items reported stolen in the Beaver Dam burglary.

Knowles said the Sheriff’s Office as well as municipal authorities throughout Wisconsin and federal agencies continue to investigate the men arrested in Ozaukee County to determine if they are part of a larger criminal organization.

At this point, she said, there is no indication the men were involved in the recent spate of burglaries in Mequon or those targeting professional athletes throughout the country.

“This group appeared to target the Asian population as the addresses on the list were homeowners of Asian descent,” Knowles said.

Joining the Sheriff’s Office in the investigation are the Beaver Dam Police Department and departments in communities that are on the address list, including those in Berlin, Menomonee Falls and West Bend, as well as the FBI, Knowles said.    

While setting bail for the men during last week’s hearing, Williams also signed a bail source order, which means that if any of the men are able to post $1 million, she will decide if the money is from legitimate sources, rather than the proceeds of crimes, before releasing them.

Knowles credited Zilke with the arrest of the men, saying that after being alerted to the Beaver Dam burglary he noticed that Flock cameras recorded their SUV at multiple locations and times in Ozaukee County.

Suspecting the men were still in the county and possibly planning another burglary, Zilke checked businesses and hotels with no luck, then started checking neighborhoods in the Grafton area until he noticed an SUV that looked out of place and matched the description of the vehicle linked to the Beaver Dam burglary, Knowles said.

Zilke then enlisted the help of officers from other area departments who were on duty at the time to set up a perimeter around the rental house, she said.

“His quick actions after locating the suspect vehicle prevented the suspects from leaving the house and either fleeing undetected or preventing another burglary or other crime spree from occurring,” Knowles said. “The outstanding police work that went into locating the suspect vehicle is why the suspects were located.

“It was a job well done.”