Second Conspirator Pleads Guilty to 37 Gold Burglaries in Northern Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Dagoberto Soto-Ramirez, 27, of New York, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to steal at least $500,000 worth of gold and other valuables from 37 residences in Northern Virginia, and to transport that stolen property to New York.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Shawn Henry, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Steve Simpson, Loudoun County Sheriff, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Soto-Ramirez was indicted on July 15, 2010, by a federal grand jury for conspiracy. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 3, 2010.

According to court records, from January to November 2009, Soto-Ramirez and at least two others—his wife, Melinda Marie Soto, 34, and Francisco Gray, 40, both from New York—agreed to travel to Northern Virginia to burglarize residences belonging to South Asians, whom they believed kept large amounts of gold in their homes. Soto-Ramirez admitted that he helped locate names and residences of potential victims, posed as a service man when approaching target residences, and would break into the home if no one answered to search the residence for gold, jewelry, computers, and other property.

Soto-Ramirez admitted in court today that he and his conspirators burglarized 37 residences in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties during 2009, stealing property worth more than $500,000. They then transported that property to New York, where they sold it.

Soto pled guilty to conspiracy on Sept. 17, 2010. Gray remains a fugitive at large.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Michael E. Rich and Special Assistant United States Attorney Paul Rosen are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.