Asian burglary suspect charged in federal court in Eugene

A group of seven suspects, dubbed the “Skyline 7,” allegedly burglarized the homes of Asian business owners in Oregon and Washington.
The suspects used sophisticated methods, including signal jammers and countersurveillance, to steal currency, jewelry, and other valuables.
Following their arrests at a rented Airbnb, several suspects posted bail, with some later detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A man charged with burglarizing the homes of Asian residents in Oregon and Washington has made his first appearance in federal court.

Derinson Martinez-Grandas, 34, appeared at the Wayne Lyman Morse Federal Courthouse in Eugene on Nov. 6, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Martinez-Grandas was one of seven people arrested in connection to the most recent burglaries.

Martinez-Grandas and the other burglary suspects, dubbed the Skyline 7, allegedly carried out their first operation at a home in Auburn, Washington, on Oct. 3, then burglarized a home in Eugene’s Bethel neighborhood on Oct. 6 and then a home in Salem on Oct. 9. All of the homes belonged to Asian business owners who were working when the burglaries took place.

Court documents lay out burglary methods

Court documents allege Martinez-Grandas and his co-conspirators employed signal jamming technology, perimeter countersurveillance, and seven-way group calls when carrying out the crimes.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the suspects entered their victims’ homes by shattering glass doors. Once inside, they ransacked the residences and stole large amounts of United States and foreign currency, jewelry, designer handbags, purses, wallets, travel documents, pawn shop receipts and much more. After the burglaries, the crew then returned to their short-term rental to package the proceeds to send to other jurisdictions.

Officers with the Eugene Police Department arrested seven suspects at an Airbnb on Skyline Boulevard that Martinez-Grandas had rented on Oct. 9. Following the arrest, the other six suspects were identified as Steven Alexander Quiroga-Solano, 27, Robinson Camacho-Rodriguez, 31, William Estiven Rodriguez-Gaviria , 26, Jesson Quintero, 27, Jhon Alexander Quintero, 44, and Jhon Quintero, 24.

Investigators said they found money and property from the three residences, digital devices, evidence of money wires to Bogota, Colombia, and various Colombian travel documents, including passports.

Investigators also performed searches of the devices found at the Airbnb. They say they discovered evidence of the conspiracy, including sending and receiving burglary coordinates, surveillance communications, and shared messages highlighting the burglary targets from the preceding days.

Posting bail, ICE involvement

A probable cause affidavit, filed by a special agent for the FBI, said investigators believe each defendant is a Colombian national. Following their arrests, they posted bail.

Martinez-Grandas, Rodriguez-Gaviria and one other person were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rodriguez-Gaviria was taken into custody in Arizona and will be transported to Oregon for ongoing court proceedings. Martinez-Grandas and the other suspect, who The Register-Guard has not been able to identify, were taken into custody by federal law enforcement after they posted bail at the Lane County Jail.

After someone flew from California to pay Martinez-Granda’s $10,000 bail, Martinez-Grandas approached Eugene police to share his version of the story, according to court documents. He claimed he was simply a surveillance camera repairman and denied knowledge of illegal activity.

In Eugene, Martinez-Grandas was the registered renter of the Skyline Airbnb. The reservation began on Oct. 5 and was set to end on Oct. 10. He told police he helped his friends get Airbnb reservations because they were banned due to parties.

Court documents: Suspects surveilled community members

Video footage from Oct. 3 seized from one of the suspects depicts a recording of a blue, single-family residence and a driveway full of vehicles. The way the footage was shot indicates the phone may have been placed low to the ground in what law enforcement officials believe were bushes or landscaping. Court documents said the residence was the home of a person who lives in Auburn, Washington. This person lived down the street from their father and both owned and operated a jewelry store in Kent, Washington.

Martinez-Grandas rented an Airbnb in Tumwater, Washington, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.

Investigators say they found evidence on another cellular device the homes of both the victim and his father were tagged in a mapping app. The address and photos of their business were also tagged, and the business’s open and close times were communicated via WhatsApp.

On Oct. 3 around 5:50 p.m., the father’s residence was burglarized. The burglars gained entry by shattering the back sliding glass door.

After burglarizing the home in Washington, police say the seven suspects drove to Oregon on Oct. 6.

Court documents said a review of the suspects’ phones contained historical information from their time in Washington including sending/receiving coordinates for burglaries, potential burglaries, and surveillance or “casing” of burglary locations. The phones also showed defendants conducted similar activity in Eugene and Salem.

Investigators said Martinez-Grandas had a Bank of America account that sent him push notifications when money was transferred to or from his account. They found 17 incoming bank transfers for approximately $11,000 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 9. Investigators observed approximately eight outgoing bank transfers for $6,431 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8.

Estimated losses from the Washington home were $4,000 in stolen goods and damaged property, $3,000 to $5,000 in Eugene and approximately $50,699 for the victims in Salem.

“Each (victim) indicated fear or anxiety associated with returning to their home, a sense of insecurity when there, and a feeling of being targeted due to their ethnicity,” court documents said.

Automated license plate readers help trace crime

Four vehicles were involved in the burglaries targeting homes in Eugene and Salem, including a Ford Escape, Kia Sportage, a Honda Civic and a Lexus RX, all with California license plates and all registered to the suspects or people related to them.

Information gathered from automated license plate readers in several states showed the four vehicles all traveled the same route in the same time period from California to Las Vegas, through Twin Falls, Idaho, to Lakewood and Auburn, Washington, then to Eugene, Salem and back to Eugene.

According to a Eugene Police Department news release following the Oct. 6 burglary, police obtained a brief video that recorded a person dressed as a pizza delivery driver at the Bethel-area home before all cameras stopped working simultaneously. Police obtained video footage from a local pizzeria near the victim’s place of business and additional footage that showed a suspect and involved vehicle.

Detectives used the city’s Flock camera system to search for the vehicle, which they found on the afternoon of Oct. 8 in south Eugene. On Oct. 9, police surveilled the vehicle, following it north to Corvallis, Salem and Keizer. EPD reported additional vehicles were observed, one of which is suspected of being involved in a burglary that day in west Salem.

Eugene and Salem police arrested the crew later that night.

“The ALPR technology was the single most important piece of new information that brought us to this day. What transpired after that was hours of locating the vehicle,” Skinner said.

Local and state leaders react

In a press release, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Scott Bradford, thanked local law enforcement for their “tireless efforts.”

“This multi-state operation deliberately targeted hardworking families and struck at the very core of personal safety – the victims’ own homes – instilling fear throughout multiple communities,” Bradford said.

Lane County District Attorney Christopher Parosa said he is solely interested in seeing the burglary suspects held accountable for their victimization of the community and thanked U.S. Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement for their work.

Lane County government on Nov. 4 said it stands in solidarity with Asian American community members and business owners targeted by these burglaries.

“These crimes are not just attacks on property, they are assaults on the sense of safety and belonging that every member of our community deserves,” Lane County officials said in a press release. “Acts that single out any group because of their identity have no place in Lane County.”

Despite success, several cases remain unsolved

Since 2023, at least 22 homes belonging to Asian community members in Eugene have been burglarized, leaving 21 cases unsolved.

In June 2024, the Eugene Police Department’s property crimes unit conducted six simultaneous arrests in three residential neighborhoods, including North Delta Highway and Ayres Road, Franklin Boulevard and Agate Street, and in the 700 block of East 15th Avenue.

At the time, Eugene police said the burglaries often began with a female suspect approaching the residence and casually knocking on the door. The suspects would try to “blend in” by wearing construction vests, Amazon delivery vests, and scrubs.

Of the six people arrested, three were charged and arraigned in court, while the other three were released from police custody.

Maria Castro-Cortes was charged with first-degree attempted burglary for her involvement in a home invasion near Brewer Avenue and Shiloh Street in Eugene; John Vasquez and his reported accomplice, Emmanuel Figuera were each arraigned on one count of first-degree burglary and first-degree attempted burglary.

All three suspects posted bail soon after their arrests.

After they failed to appear in court, Lane County Circuit Court Judge Erin Fennerty issued bench warrants for each of them and revoked their security release agreements.

Eugene law enforcement officials believe all three suspects fled the country.

The Register-Guard spoke with H.K. and G.K., the daughters of two local Asian American business owners who had their entire life savings, personal documents and other belongings stolen from their home in early August. Following the news that the Skyline 7 are being charged in federal court, the sisters said law enforcement officials told their family none of the evidence found at the Airbnb belonged to their parents, though officers believe they were responsible for targeting their home.

“They said since our folks were sort of the first ones (burglary) this summer, that the burglary crew most certainly moved all of it out while at past Airbnbs,” the sisters said.

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