New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“The four men arrested this morning during a series of raids in Rhode Island — who are members of an organized burglary ring that victimized more than 40 homes in recent years — decided not to fight rendition.
This afternoon, Massachusetts State Troopers took custody of the four men and transported them to MSP Barracks in Millbury and Dartmouth. They are being booked and will be held in the Middlesex County House of Correction, most likely until their arraignments in Middlesex Superior Court next week.
JOVAN LEMON, 29, of Providence, R.I., his brother PAUL LEMON, 30, of Warwick, R.I., their father PAUL MILLER, 46, of Woonsocket, R.I., and STEVEN BERDUGO, 28, of Providence, R.I., were arrested this morning in connection with 43 burglaries and break-ins across 25 towns in Massachusetts between 2018 and 2024. Their criminal enterprise mainly targeted homes of people of Indian or Southeast Asian descent, often striking when they knew families would not be home and stealing large amounts of gems, jewelry, and currency.
The total value of all the stolen property has been estimated to exceed $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.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Cyr, commander of the Massachusetts State Police Division of Homeland Security, added: “The theft crew we arrested today stole countless items of great monetary, emotional, and cultural value from families in multiple states, and did so by violating the sanctity of their homes. Such brazen criminal actions will not be tolerated in our communities. This investigation highlights the dedication of our law enforcement partners to work collaboratively to take down complex criminal networks.”
Their arrests were the result of a painstaking investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Fusion Center, including its MACrimeNet intelligence sharing program, the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, dozens of city and town police departments, Rhode Island and Connecticut State Police, and US Marshals. The defendants were indicted earlier this week, and are being prosecuted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.”-Massachusetts State Police.
