Gypsies Arrested in L.A. Called Part of U.S. Theft Ring

A group of 20 Polish Gypsies arrested last week in Los Angeles and charged with receiving stolen property are part of an elusive nationwide network that accounts for millions of dollars a year in stolen goods, according to law enforcement authorities.

Working in the suburbs and using a simple ruse, the network is believed to have stolen expensive jewelry and sterling silver from elderly residents in a number of communities throughout the United States and Canada, according to detectives who have followed the group’s zigzag path.

The network, apparently based in Chicago, has been able to elude the grasp of law enforcement by using aliases and operating along tight-knit ethnic lines. Last week’s arrest of group members suspected of residential crimes in Vancouver, Washington and more than a dozen communities in Southern California was the culmination of a three-year investigation begun by Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives in Temple City.

“We haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg, that’s how big we believe this activity is across the United States,” said Detective Terry Wiese, who has tracked members of the group since late 1984.

All 20 arrested last week have been charged with one count of receiving stolen property and held on $500,000 bail each. Police said the high bail was justified because members arrested in the past have fled before authorities could bring them to trial. At Pasadena Municipal Court Monday and Tuesday, 19 of the 20 pleaded not guilty. One other still has not been arraigned.

Polish translators are assisting group members, none of whom speak sufficient English to get through court proceedings. Immigration and Naturalization Service agents also are reviewing the files on the suspicion that several of those arrested are here illegally.

Los Angeles Police Detective Larry Kagele, who helped coordinate more than two dozen law enforcement agencies involved in the case, said the suspects would drive through affluent suburban neighborhoods looking for senior citizens who were standing outside their homes watering the lawn or chatting with neighbors.

While the men remained in the car, one female would ask the homeowner for directions or a drink of water. A second female would then sneak into the house and rummage through bedroom dressers and closets in search of jewelry, expensive heirlooms and silver.

“If the woman was seen inside the house, she would make up a quick story that she’s looking for a ‘Joe’ or ‘Sandy’ and must have the wrong address,” Kagele said. “It wasn’t all that sophisticated but it worked.”

Before their arrest, several of the members had managed to slip through law enforcement hands.

In late 1984, according to authorities, the group hit several homes in Rosemead and an investigation was begun by Sheriff’s Detectives Wiese and Craig Sinclair. Wiese said two suspects were identified at the time but fled the area before arrests could be made.

The two were later picked up in Stockton on suspicion of residential crimes. But before they could be transported back to Southern California to face criminal charges, the two posted $22,500 bonds and fled the area, Wiese said.

In 1986, one of the suspects was arrested in El Monte for breaking into the home of the supervising deputy district attorney in Pomona. That woman was convicted and is now serving a two-year sentence in state prison, Wiese said.

But the rest of the group--targeting homes in Bakersfield, the San Fernando Valley, San Marino, Pasadena, Arcadia, Newport Beach and Anaheim--continued to frustrate police. Then a tip last week led authorities to a motel in Chinatown, where part of the group had been staying.

On Thursday, nine members packed their belongings and drove to a parking lot near Los Angeles International Airport. They were arrested as they left their cars carrying more than $100,000 in stolen goods stuffed into their bags.