In this episode of Fugitive Files, we examine the rise of Dagoberto Ramirez-Soto — the alleged leader of a violent criminal enterprise responsible for a string of armed robberies and burglaries targeting Asian American small-business owners between 2017 and 2022. Now one of the FBI’s Most Wanted fugitives, Ramirez-Soto is accused of making false statements, committing identity theft, and obstructing justice to conceal the scope of his operation — a nationwide network built on intimidation, corruption, and cash.

According to federal prosecutors, Ramirez-Soto’s crew operated with the help of inside information from a surprising source: a former NYPD detective, Saul Arismendy De La Cruz, who pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in 2025 after admitting he accepted bribes in exchange for leaking confidential police data to the crew. Court records trace Ramirez-Soto’s criminal history back more than a decade — including a 2011 prison sentence for gold burglaries — but the latest indictment paints a far darker picture, detailing a web of fraud, robbery, and money laundering that extended across state lines.

A trusted cop turned accomplice, a network of thieves targeting the vulnerable, and a fugitive leader still on the run — this is the story of Dagoberto Ramirez-Soto.
This is Fugitive Files. Let’s get into it.