An accused Venezuelan gang member taken into custody during an ICE sweep in the Bronx was a fugitive wanted for his role in a deadly takeover of a Colorado apartment complex that grabbed nationwide attention during the 2024 presidential election, new court documents show.
Authorities in Arapahoe County, Colo. had been on the hunt for Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco since September 2024, after doorbell surveillance footage linked him to a home invasion in Aurora, Colo. that left one person dead.
The footage showed Pacheco as one of several men storming the residence, prompting multiple charges — including burglary and menacing; by Oct. 22, a separate investigation lead to charges including kidnapping and criminal extortion, federal prosecutors charge.
Though his image was flashed across national news outlets, Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, fled to New York and hunkered down in a three-bedroom apartment on Ogden Avenue in the Bronx, where law enforcement tracked him using data from a Pen-Ping Warrant — a court order that allowed law enforcement to track his phone’s location, according to prosectors.
Around 6 a.m. Tuesday, agencies including ICE, the NYPD and the Drug Enforcement Administration, descended on the apartment where Zambrano-Pacheco was holed up with his girlfriend while on the run. He is a suspected member of the Tren de Aragua gang, which has established a substantial foothold in the United States, including in New York, according to court filings.
According to the filings, as officers and agents made their way into the apartment, they spotted Zambrano-Pacheco standing near a dresser drawer — where they recovered a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol. Officers also seized two cellphones from the room, one of which rang when they dialed it.
After his arrest, Zambrano-Pacheco told law enforcement he had fled Colorado when he learned he was a suspect in the home invasion. He also acknowledged other individuals involved in the crime had been arrested in New York City, but denied any knowledge of the firearm found in the apartment.
Zambrano-Pacheco appeared in Federal Court in Manhattan on Wednesday. Wearing a black sweatsuit, he sat silently through most of the proceedings, responding via a Spanish interpreter only to questions about his understanding of the court proceedings.
He is facing federal charges for possession of a firearm and ammunition while being a fugitive from justice.
Defense attorney Jacqueline Cistaro argued the high-profile nature of the gang-related case requires special consideration for her client’s specific safety concerns.
The Trump administration has vowed to deport any undocumented individuals with a criminal past. But during a White House press briefing this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt boldly asserted that under the Trump administration, all undocumented immigrants are considered criminals.
“All of them, because they illegally broke our nation’s laws, and, therefore, they are criminals, as far as this administration goes,” Leavitt said. “I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal. But that’s exactly what they are.”
Under federal law, being undocumented is a civil violation — not a criminal offense — and individuals are not necessarily convicted of a crime unless they are involved in criminal activity beyond their immigration status.
