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Cases tie trio to multistate burglary ring
A trio of men accused of a string of burglaries across southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois are behind bars, investigators say, tied to multiple break-ins that netted tens of thousands of dollars in cash.
ELM GROVE, Wis. - A trio of men accused of a string of burglaries across southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois are behind bars, investigators say, tied to multiple break-ins that netted tens of thousands of dollars in cash.
What we know:
According to the Elm Grove Police Department, surveillance video from November shows a man breaking into a home where the homeowner later reported several items stolen, including a gun, passport, gold ring and a safe containing $50,000 in cash.
Prosecutors say that burglary was part of a broader pattern of crimes reported in Brookfield and New Berlin, as well as in Mequon and Franklin, where one homeowner reported $200,000 in cash taken.
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On April 13, search warrants were executed in Gurnee, Ill., leading to the arrests of 47-year-old Ali Ivanov, 33-year-old Angelo Petrov and his brother, 32-year-old Janko Petrov.
The Petrov brothers are being held in the Waukesha County Jail on $100,000 cash bonds, while Ivanov is in custody in Cook County, Ill.
Investigators in Illinois say the trio is part of an "extended Yugoslavian family and associates" who have been involved in "organized residential burglaries for multiple generations."
Dig deeper:
Police say the group targeted Asian or Middle Eastern business owners when they were not home.
Detectives linked the suspects to the crimes through cell phone records. After obtaining a search warrant for Janko Petrov’s iCloud account, investigators say they recovered photos and videos relevant to the case.
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Elm Grove police, who did not return calls from FOX6, did say on social media the case remains under active investigation.
What's next:
The Petrov brothers are scheduled to appear in Waukesha County court on Monday, April 27.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.