Green and more than a dozen law-enforcement representatives, speaking at a community outreach session at Delaware County Community College's Marple campus, said they want to raise public awareness, particularly in the Asian community, and offer crime-prevention tips.
Green said the same multi-agency approach, used two years ago after a similar series of crimes, resulted in federal prosecution of three groups of defendants.
He said some of those defendants admitted that they targeted Asians because they believed them more likely to bring cash home and less likely to call police.
The Philadelphia FBI office's acting special agent in charge, Jayne L. Challman, predicted that authorities would also catch the robbers in the recent spate of attacks - but to expedite that, she said, the FBI is offering a $10,000 cash reward for information that leads to a conviction.
"No piece of information is too small," Challman said, advising people to call 215-418-4000.
Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker said the attacks have involved two to four "heavily masked, armed" intruders who follow their prey home or lie in wait at victims' homes. The thieves grab money, jewelry, televisions, cell phones, and credit cards, he said.
Investigators aren't sure whether the latest home invasions were the work of one group of robbers or more than one.
Those who have gotten caught are likely to pay a high price, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Reed said at Thursday's event.
An example of that came later in the day in federal court, when Rickey Phillips 21, of Philadelphia, received a nine-year prison sentence for his role in crimes that targeted Asians.
In one instance, Phillips and two accomplices hit a restaurant on West Chester Pike because it was owned by Asians who drove "nice cars," court records said.
