​Suspected Members Of Theft Group Facing Federal Charges: Harrison PD

HARRISON, NY — An international theft ring met their match when they targeted a Sound Shore community, according to federal officials.

On January 12, members of the Harrison Police Department collaborated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Nassau County Police Department Burglary Pattern Squad to carry out a federal search warrant in Queens.

The joint action led to the arrests of Jorge Luis Araneda Pogge, 39, and Ingrid Johana Gomez, 33, under federal indictments through the U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York. The charges handed down by a federal grand jury included: conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, interstate transport of stolen property, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

The multijurisdictional investigation began in 2020 and lasted over 24 months. Pogge and Gomez are believed to have been involved in a number of residential burglaries and other theft-related crimes throughout the country, including in the Town of Harrison and Nassau County.

Gomez and Pogge are believed to be members of the South American Theft Group (SATG), which law enforcement describes as "a criminal enterprise consisting of highly skilled criminals, particularly from Chile and Colombia." Members of the SATG are known to enter the country illegally or by exploiting the tourist visa waiver program and when in the U.S., carry out thefts all across the country, according to authorities.

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