Houston man sentenced for home burglaries

Fernando Cuero Saa, 53, appeared before the Loudoun County Circuit Court for sentencing for his convictions of two counts of Burglary, one count of Grand Larceny, and one count of Attempted Burglary. The Honorable Douglas L. Fleming, Jr. sentenced Saa to serve an active period of incarceration of 16 years in the Virginia Department of Corrections. Saa is also required to pay approximately $151,000 in restitution to the victims.

In the spring of 2024, Saa and a co-conspirator traveled from Houston, Texas to Loudoun County for the purpose of burglarizing homes in the area. They specifically targeted homes occupied by individuals of Indian descent or of the Jewish faith, looking for expensive jewelry and large amounts of cash.

The duo broke into and burglarized several homes before being caught, causing losses of over $150,000 from stolen items and property damage. Many of the items stolen were priceless family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation, none of which have been recovered.

“This organized, targeted effort to break into and ransack homes in Loudoun was stopped thanks to the comprehensive investigation conducted by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. The types of crimes that involve breaking into homes create a significant risk of violence occurring, and causes people to feel unsafe in their own homes, where they should feel the most safe,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson.

During the sentencing hearing, Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Thomas Rock argued that “this is a case when you look at the guidelines, they are wholly inadequate … Saa and his associate targeted individuals in Loudoun County of Indian descent or of the Jewish faith, believing that these groups would have expensive jewelry and large amounts of cash in their homes … this is a crime beyond theft, these people no longer feel safe in their homes … I recommend years in the penitentiary and full restitution … send a message that when you travel from afar to commit crimes in Loudoun—you will go to prison.”

Defense counsel for Saa proffered to the Court that Saa did not provide a proposed payment plan for restitution to the victims because he most likely would be removed from the county after serving his sentence due to an active detainer.
Before he pronounced Saa’s sentence, Judge Fleming said, “Mr. Saa traveled from Texas to Loudoun
County to target its citizens … [T]hese items were never recovered or returned … many were irreplaceable family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation … Mr. Saa has no plan for restitution … the facts are shown the victims will never, never receive money … Mr. Saa was a professional thief—it’s a factual observation … he targeted these people from thousands of miles away … [H]e made a grave, grave error … the guidelines are woefully insufficient … he has erased memories.”