Asian homeowners ‘believed to have large sums’ of money targeted in 4 states, feds say
A group of people targeted more than a dozen Asian homeowners — “believed to have large sums” of money and expensive jewelry — for burglaries in four states, according to court documents.
In addition to their race, the victims owned small businesses, “typically Asian-family owned restaurants,” and were watched by the accused burglars before their homes were located and broken into in New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania, court documents state.
A New Jersey man was caught trying to break into one home in March 2019 and admitted taking part in other burglaries, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court. He is accused of stealing items inside three homes for himself, prosecutors said.
Now the man, Randi Barr, 41, of Vauxhall has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced in a Dec. 22 news release.
McClatchy News contacted Barr’s attorney for comment on Dec. 22 and didn’t immediately receive a response.
Barr faces a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison, according to the release.
Man says he was ‘solicited’ to burglarize homes
After Barr was caught breaking into a home in Hazlet, New Jersey, he told investigators that he was “solicited by a ‘head person’” and carried out a few burglaries, the complaint states.
He did so from December 2016 through March 2019, prosecutors said.
On March 19, 2019, an Asian business owner’s car was broken into in the parking lot of a Chinese food restaurant in Hazlet, according to the complaint.
This business owner became the ninth Asian homeowner targeted in the burglary scheme overall, the complaint shows.
After their car was broken into, Hazlet police started surveilling the victim’s home, according to the complaint.
The next day, Barr and another man, dressed in all black, were caught walking into the victim’s backyard and peering through the windows of their home, the complaint states.
When they smashed through one of the windows, Hazlet police officers stepped in and Barr and the other suspect tried running away, according to the complaint.
Officers ultimately caught up to Barr and arrested him, the complaint says.
He is accused of telling investigators that he was “directed” to the victim’s home after already having burglarized three other residences, according to the complaint.
Barr is one of nine defendants named in the complaint, court records show. The case is still ongoing as of Dec. 22.
His sentencing is scheduled for April 25, according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Asian homeowners ‘believed to have large sums’ of money targeted in 4 states, feds say."
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