Newly released details compiled from police-written arrest affidavits hinted of a twisted tale involving two Venezuelan brothers who allegedly intimidated other immigrants with guns and threats.

Witnesses said they bragged that they “owned” an apartment complex in north Aurora and funded their gang by stealing from Walmart stores, documents show.

But just before dawn on July 28, Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, 22, and his older brother, Jhonnarty DeJesus Pacheco-Chirinos, 24, were part of a group of several men who terrorized residents of the The Aspen Grove apartments at 1568 Nome St., Aurora, with automatic weapons, police said.

It was a drunken night-turned-violent, according to a July 30 arrest document and Aurora city statements.

The brothers are now in ICE custody, City of Aurora officials and relatives said.

Their names are almost identical and are often spelled with a consonant or two out of place, which could happen because neither speaks English and police must work through translators.

The older brother has a wife and children and they share the same parents, but this may be a step-parent situation, in which one is the biological child of the mother and the other is the biological child of the father, according to family conversations with their bail bonds company.

Jhonardy, Jhonnarty, his wife and two children and their parents all lived together, sandwiched at a unit at the Aspen Grove apartments this summer.

Jhonardy and Jhonnarty were arrested after a shootout at the 1568 Nome complex in late July.

Police noted in the arrest document that the younger brother is a documented member of Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TDA), and that his brother is also believed to be a member of the group.

Referring to Jhonardy, the Aurora police said authorities are “not aware of his status within the gang,” likely a reference to reports that he is the ringleader or “shot caller” of the Venezuelan gang in the region.

Jhonnarty is facing two attempted murder charges and one assault charge in connection with the July shootout. There is no official arrest affidavit for Jhonardy’s role that night, although the city has admitted that he was involved and being held for it.

Charges related to Jhonardy’s involvement in the shooting are unknown at this time, but he has had other, prior run-ins with law enforcement.

Aspen Grove Apartments

Today, the Aspen Grove apartment complex is boarded up.

The city of Aurora supervised a mass evacuation there last month, saying the buildings had violated code violations and become uninhabitable, overrun by rodents, poor conditions and mountains of trash.

But the affidavits tell another side of the story.

At 4:32 a.m. on July 28, Aurora police were called to the property on reports of shots fired and a possible stabbing.

When they arrived, vehicles were careening out of the parking lot and two men were throwing spent shell casings from the balconies, according to the affidavits.

By the time the incident was under police control, a man had jumped out of a fourth story window trying to escape, one man was shot in the arm, and another was found across the street bleeding from his stomach, according to an arrest document for the older brother.

A search by the Adams County court clerk did not turn up any record that Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos had been arrested for the incident, but the city of Aurora sent a news release Friday affirming that he is in ICE custody, in part for his role in the July 28 incident.

The man known as ‘Galleta’

The younger brother, Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos — he was previously identified by police as “Chirino,” with no “s” — is known to family and friends as “Galleta,” which translates to “Cookie.”

According to court documents, “Galleta” entered the United States on Oct. 2, 2022 and was charged with an alien inadmissibility order under the federal code. He was supposed go to New York to answer to the charge, but there is no record that he ever got there and he may have instead wound up in Denver.

In August of 2023, records show that he was pulled over for a traffic stop. They also show that, in October 2023, he was a victim of domestic violence.

On Nov. 23, 2023, a year after he entered the country illegally, Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos beat up a man, which lead to a traumatic brain injury, during a drunken argument, the arrest affidavit said. There was so much blood, he went into hiding because he thought he killed his victim, according to the court document.

Pacheco-Chirinos was arrested in March on charges of first-degree assault and given a $20,000 bond, but his parents bonded him out on April 8, 2024 with $2,000 cash, according to the woman who did the paperwork.

Rose Burton, with 720 Denver Bailbonds, told The Denver Gazette that Pacheco-Chirinos was released — but it would not be the last time she heard from the family.

In August, Pacheco-Chironos’ parents returned seeking to pay bond for the older brother, also for the July 28 shooting incident. The bond for the charges of attempted murder, assault and illegal discharge of a firearm had been set at $100,000 — and the man’s parents couldn’t pay the entire amount.

“We never met the young men,” said Burton. “But the parents seemed like really nice people. They were cooperating.”

Burton said that the parents eventually came up with $5,000, but it was not enough to post bond. During this time, the mother, sobbing, told Burton that her older son had been apprehended by ICE, was in the federal agency’s custody, and the rest of the family was being evicted from 1568 Nome.

TDA’s influence in the metro Denver area unknown

It’s unclear exactly how extensive TDA’s footprint has spread in metro Denver.

Last week, the City of Aurora described it as a “a small presence,” but it’s unclear how much influence the gang yields in the metropolis and at three apartment complexes owned by an out-of-state company.

CBZ Management wrote emails to the Colorado Attorney General’s office complaining of the gang’s activities as early as June 28.

The three CBZ-owned apartment complexes mentioned in the emails were:

• The Aspen Grove at 1568 Nome St.

• The Edge at Lowry at 1208 N. Dallas St.

• Whispering Pines at 1357 Helena St.

Just last week, video of men with long guns busting down doors at The Edge apartments surfaced.

On Tuesday, tenants at The Edge disputed claims that gangs controlled the property.

“Galleta” has a scheduled hearing on Thursday in Adams County and his older brother, Jhonnary, has one scheduled for the next day.

In an interview on Thursday, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman told The Denver Gazette that “there will be more” arrests.