A quiet Jacksonville address turned into the front line of a high-tech burglary investigation, after two brothers were arrested and accused of stalking Asian business owners with Apple AirTags.
In a News4JAX video report, Eric Avanier explains how deputies say a simple tracking gadget, a work visa, and carefully chosen victims came together in a scheme that may stretch far beyond Florida.
The case shows how modern crime is shifting from crowbars and ski masks to apps, Wi-Fi, and data – and why some communities are especially vulnerable.
Tech-Savvy Burglary Scheme Comes To Light
Avanier reports that 20-year-old Juan Sebastian Moyano and his 18-year-old brother Juan Camilo Moyano were arrested at a Jacksonville home where they’d been living.
Jacksonville police picked them up on a Flagler County warrant, after investigators tied them to a 2023 home burglary involving an Asian business owner in Palm Coast.
According to Avanier, the brothers are also suspects in similar burglaries in St. Johns County and Tallahassee.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly told Avanier that both men are Colombian nationals who were granted U.S. work authorization in 2024.
“They were given work visas in 2024 and came here to do burglary, which was apparently their business,” Sheriff Staly said.
That blunt assessment from Staly underlines one of the uncomfortable parts of this case – legitimate immigration paperwork allegedly used as cover for organized theft.
How AirTags Became A Burglar’s Tracking Tool
The most disturbing detail, Avanier reports, is how the victims were allegedly followed.
Investigators say the Moyano brothers used Apple AirTag GPS trackers to stalk their targets from business to home.
Staly explained to Avanier that the brothers weren’t just randomly driving around looking for places to hit.
“Once they get the life pattern, then they know when the person is not going to be home or not going to be at the business, and then they will burglarize their home or business,” Staly said.
In other words, the AirTags allegedly let them map out daily routines – when the business owner left, how long they stayed out, and when the house would likely be empty.
That kind of planning isn’t new in burglary, but the precision and distance created by modern trackers changes the game.
You don’t have to sit in a car outside the shop anymore.
You just stick a device under the bumper and let the map on your phone do the rest.
Why Asian Business Owners Were Targeted
Avanier reports that investigators say the brothers weren’t choosing victims at random.
According to Sheriff Staly, they “targeted people of Asian descent.”
Staly told Avanier that in some Asian communities, there is a long-standing mistrust of banking institutions.
Because of that, he said, some families and business owners are known to keep cash and jewelry at home, rather than in a bank.
“In some Asian communities, there’s a mistrust of the banking community, so they potentially keep a lot of cash at home,” Staly told News4JAX.
News4JAX crime and safety analyst Tom Hackney called that pattern “sad,” telling Avanier that it’s a group of people “being victimized solely because of some of the beliefs they have.”
That’s what makes this case feel uglier than a typical burglary.
It’s not just about money.
It’s about criminals doing homework on cultural habits and then weaponizing those habits against a specific community.
You can debate how widespread those cash-at-home practices are today, but the fact that law enforcement sees it as a recognizable pattern says a lot.
A Pattern Stretching Across Multiple States
Avanier reports that Flagler County investigators are now looking at whether the Moyano brothers are part of a larger burglary ring targeting Asian business owners nationwide.
According to his report, similar burglaries have been seen in Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Washington State.
In those cases, the same tech signatures keep showing up.
Apple AirTag GPS trackers attached to victims’ vehicles.
Movements tracked patiently over time.
Homes or businesses hit when the owners are predictably away.
Avanier also notes that in multiple cases, burglars used Wi-Fi jammers to disrupt wireless security systems before breaking in.
Taken together, it looks less like random crime and more like a playbook being used in city after city.
If that’s true, it means this isn’t just a Florida problem.
It’s a national warning – especially for Asian business owners who handle a lot of cash or keep valuables at home.
Digital Alerts, Wi-Fi Jammers, And Weak Spots At Home
Hackney told Avanier that when it comes to AirTags, one of the most important defenses is already in people’s pockets.
He said modern smartphones are designed to warn you if an unknown AirTag seems to be moving with you.
“It should pop up a message that says, ‘Be aware there’s an AirTag following you,’” Hackney explained.
If you see that alert, he told Avanier, you need to start looking around your vehicle and belongings to find the device.
That’s good advice for anyone, but especially for business owners who travel with cash, deposits, or inventory.
Avanier also asked Hackney about the Wi-Fi jammers tied to some of these burglaries.
Hackney pointed out that “a lot of people have alarms at their house,” and many of those systems are Wi-Fi or cellular-based.
“There are ways around that,” he told News4JAX, and these jammers highlight exactly one of those ways.
It’s another reminder that security isn’t just about having a camera and a phone app.
If your entire system depends on a single wireless link, a $50 gadget bought online can suddenly make you invisible.
This doesn’t mean people should give up on tech, but it does suggest they need layers – cameras, reinforced doors, better safes, maybe even some old-fashioned hard-wired backups.
High-Tech Crime, Real-World Consequences
Avanier notes that earlier this year, Flagler County deputies found a hidden surveillance camera aimed straight at an Asian business owner’s home.
There is currently no evidence that the Moyano brothers installed that camera, but it fits the same theme.
Criminals are mixing off-the-shelf devices – cameras, AirTags, Wi-Fi jammers – into sophisticated burglary plans that would have been impossible for most people just a decade ago.
Meanwhile, Avanier reports that the two brothers now face burglary charges in Flagler County and are also facing deportation from the U.S.
That’s the legal side of the story.
But for the victims – many of them immigrants themselves, working long hours in small businesses – the emotional impact is harder to measure.
They aren’t just losing cash or jewelry.
They’re losing the feeling that their homes and families are off-limits.
What This Case Says About Tech, Trust, And Targeted Crime
Through his reporting, Eric Avanier shows how this case is bigger than one arrest.
Sheriff Rick Staly’s comments point to a criminal network that studies cultural habits, then uses cheap, powerful tech to squeeze more profit out of every risk.
Tom Hackney’s warnings about smartphone alerts and Wi-Fi jammers show how ordinary people are now stuck in a quiet arms race with thieves who understand gadgets just as well as any tech-savvy consumer.
And the focus on Asian business owners exposes a hard truth: when criminals figure out that a particular community tends to handle money a certain way, that community becomes a target.
That doesn’t mean the answer is to blame victims for how they store their savings.
It means law enforcement, tech companies, and communities have to adapt faster than the people trying to exploit them.
Apple has built some protections into AirTags, but as this case suggests, not everyone notices or understands the alerts.
Alarm companies sell sleek, wireless systems, but many homeowners never think about what happens if someone scrambles that signal.
Stories like the one Avanier brought forward are an early warning.
If you run a small business, especially if you’re part of a community known for keeping cash at home, you can’t assume your routines are invisible.
You have to watch your surroundings, check your car, pay attention to strange alerts, and ask hard questions about whether your security really works when the Wi-Fi goes dark.
Because in 2025, the line between “smart” tech and “criminal” tech is thinner than most people want to admit – and in this case, it took a determined sheriff, an alert newsroom, and a lot of legwork to expose what two suspects were allegedly doing with a device that was originally sold to help people find lost keys.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
