Two men accused of burglarizing a residence in Palm Coast’s F Section are now facing deportation, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced on Monday. 20-year-old Juan Sebastian Moyano Gonzalez and his brother, 20-year-old Juan Camilo Moyano Gonzalez, were arrested in Jacksonville after an arrest warrant was issued in November.
Background and Investigation
The burglary in question took place on October 4th, 2023. The victims called the FCSO saying their home had been broken into while they were at work and that the burglars had taken cash, jewelry, and wallets. An initial investigation into the incident indicated that the suspects had forced entry into the home.
Detectives with the FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center identified a vehicle they believed was used by the suspects. This vehicle was also tied to alleged crimes committed in St. Johns County, in which the perpetrators appeared to be targeting Asian business owners, the FCSO says.
According to the FCSO, the brothers were using tracking devices to monitor the comings and goings of the business owners they were targeting. This was further cemented when their names were linked to the suspect vehicle, and detectives learned they’d allegedly been the subjects in a stalking case against an Asian business owner in Tallahassee. They’d reportedly used an Apple Airtag tracking device that was owned by their father.
An arrest warrant for the brothers was issued on November 7th. They were arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the FCSO Fugitive Unit. Both were booked into the Flagler County jail on November 26th on two felony charges: grand theft from a building between $20,000 and $100,000 along with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. Juan Sebastian Moyano Gonzalez is being held without bond, while Juan Camilo Moyano Gonzalez is being held on $25,000 bond.
Tracking Asian Business Owners
Neither brother has any prior criminal bookings in Flagler County, per jail records. Both are listed as residents of Jacksonville, and the FCSO says they’re Colombian nationals. According to Sheriff Rick Staly, the targeting of Asian business owners is not an isolated phenomenon.
“The use of tracking devices to target Asian business owners appears to be a nationwide trend over the past few years, with a majority of suspects, who are often in the United States illegally, coming from either Colombia or Chile,” Staly said. “These suspects thought they could slip into our community unnoticed, commit a crime, and take what wasn’t theirs. But thanks to the relentless work of our deputies and detectives, our Real Time Crime Center, digital forensics technology and the assistance of our law enforcement partners, they’re behind bars where they belong and will ultimately be deported back to Colombia.”
Potential Deportation
The two brothers were allowed into the United States on employment authorization cards in 2024. The FCSO said they contacted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which issued detainers on the pair. This will mean that after their local prosecution is complete, or after they’re released on bond, they’ll be deported out of the United States.
“These two dirtbags are not going anywhere, except to prison or deportation,” Staly said of the brothers’ alleged crimes and immigration status.
Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since 2004, as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.
