Man Jailed For Role In Burglary Ring Targeting Asians In Somerset Co.

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A Union County man was sentenced to 50 months in prison for his role in a multi-state scheme that targeted Asian homeowners in residential burglaries, including in Somerset County, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Randi Barr, 42, of Vauxhall, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.

From 2016 to 2019, Barr and others burglarized the residences of Asian small business owners living in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware, taking cash, jewelry, heirlooms and other items, Sellinger said.

The goods were then stowed inside residences in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, he added.

Barr and others surveilled the business owners in their places of work, typically Asian restaurants, Sellinger said.

The burglaries would take place at times when residents were unlikely to be home.

The residences in question were located in Middlesex, Bergen, Monmouth, Somerset and Camden counties, Sellinger said.

Up to $55,600 in property was lifted from the homes at any given time.

While searching vehicles used in the commission of burglaries, authorities also recovered notes containing the home addresses of individuals of Asian descent with derogatory terms to describe the ethnicity of the homeowners.

Barr was arrested in Hazlet during an in-progress burglary, officials said.

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