Member of ‘South American Theft Group’ admits to Lower Merion burglaries

NORRISTOWN — A Chilean national, believed to be a member of an organized burglary crew that targeted homes as part of a growing national trend known as “South American Theft Groups,” admitted to break-ins at two homes in Lower Merion Township.

Miguel Angel Guzman-Pardo, 45, address unknown, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to two felony charges of burglary in connection with two break-ins that occurred in the township in October 2023.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Guzman-Pardo.

Guzman-Pardo was remanded to the county jail without bail to await his sentencing hearing.

Guzman-Pardo faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

Assistant District Attorney Tanner Christian Beck said he will seek a lengthy prison term for Guzman-Pardo.

“We’re going to be asking for a state prison sentence,” Beck vowed, adding that the invasion of privacy and Guzman-Pardo’s having no regard for the sanctity of the victims’ homes had a devastating impact on the victims. “They’re going to be feeling the effects of this for the rest of their lives, and may never feel safe in their homes again.”

Some of the jewelry items that were reported stolen during the incidents had sentimental value to the homeowners, Beck added.

“I think a message needs to be sent to individuals who are considering doing this in the future that this is not going to be tolerated in Montgomery County and we’re going to be seeking significant sentences,” Beck said.

Specifically, with his guilty plea, Guzman-Pardo admitted that he, and unidentified co-conspirators, entered an unoccupied home in the 700 block of Eagle Farm Road at about 7:29 p.m. Oct. 26, 2023, by smashing a door, ransacking the home and stealing about $16,325 in jewelry. The total damage to the home was about $22,535, prosecutors alleged.

Detectives ultimately linked Guzman-Pardo to the burglary through DNA that was lifted from a flathead screwdriver that he left behind at the scene.

About 45 minutes after the Eagle Farm Road burglary, at 8:15 p.m., Guzman-Pardo and his unidentified co-conspirators smashed a window to enter an unoccupied residence in the 1300 block of Hearthstone Lane, ransacked the home and made off with jewelry valued at $50. The total damage to the home was about $1,177.

Last August, while Guzman-Pardo was awaiting court action for the Lower Merion burglaries, he pleaded guilty to a separate charge of burglary in Delaware County Court in connection with an Oct. 27, 2023, break-in at a home along Brooke Farm Road in Radnor Township. Guzman-Pardo is serving a sentence of 11½ to 23 months in county jail in that case. DNA analysis of blood found on a pillowcase also linked Guzman Pardo to the Radnor Township burglary, according to court documents.

In recent years, federal, state and local law enforcement authorities have identified a nationwide trend of residential burglaries committed by organized criminal enterprises known as “South American Theft Groups.”

According to the FBI, the term refers to groups of foreign nationals of South American descent who enter the U.S. illegally or overstay their visas and who commit residential or commercial burglaries. The members typically rely on fake IDs and documents and rental vehicles while committing their “smash and grab” style burglaries, investigators said.

“We have seen patterns over the last four to five years. This isn’t just a Montgomery County problem; it’s across the country,” Beck explained.

As a result of the burglaries, a regional task force was established that includes investigators from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Since January 2021, there have been more than 100 such burglaries in the task force area, including more than 50 in Montgomery County, according to a criminal complaint filed by Lower Merion Detective Gregory Pitchford.

“During the course of this investigation, task force detectives linked these burglaries through DNA evidence, cellphone records and specific, unique and well-established modus operandi to similar burglaries that have been committed throughout the United States,” Pitchford alleged in court documents.

That modus operandi typically includes targeting affluent neighborhoods and suspects conducting surveillance and research on victims’ homes.