Overview
- The Eastern District of Wisconsin grand jury returned the indictment Tuesday, charging conspiracy, transporting stolen property, and laundering criminal proceeds.
- The defendants are Chilean nationals Luciano Alexis Silva Cifuentes, Enjerbet Alejandro Rojas Silva, and Leandro Felipe Pino Uribe, and Venezuelan national Nobuaki Jesus Lara Watay.
- The probe began in Waukesha County and, through a Milwaukee-area Homeland Security Task Force, tied the group to more than a dozen burglaries in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Florida, a pattern police call South American Theft Group activity, with losses near $1 million.
- Prosecutors say the crew used rental cars, short-term rentals, and Wi‑Fi jammers, and that Watay arranged lodging, posted bail, and handled the group’s money from Florida.
- If convicted on all counts, the men face up to 35 years in prison, and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin are now leading the case.