Federal prosecutors have charged seven members of a South American crime gang that allegedly broke into the homes of Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and several other top athletes across the US.
Top sports stars across the country have been left fearing for their safety amid a spate of burglaries, with the likes of Joe Burrow, Luka Doncic and Olivier Giroud also targeted.
On Tuesday, seven illegal immigrants purported to be from a Chilean theft group were charged with stealing valuables worth more than $2million in a series of high-profile burglaries.
In a photograph released by the Department of Justice, three of the defendants – Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20, and Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27, all of Chile – can be seen posing with a safe and jewelry that authorities say was taken shortly after the burglary of NBA star Bobby Portis Jr.
The safe was said to have contained several watches, chains, cash and other personal items, totaling nearly $1.5million.
The other men charged with the burglaries are Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22, Bastian Orellano Morales, 23, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, 24, and Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38, and if found guilty the men each face up to 10 years in prison.
In the complaint, released to the public on Tuesday, an FBI special agent stated: ‘Also of note is that P. Zuniga Cartes is wearing a Kansas City Chiefs shirt in the photo.’
He said that he believes it is in reference to the October 2024 burglaries of Kelce and Mahomes, which made headlines across America.
The FBI has also linked the seven men to the burglary of an unnamed Tampa Bay Buccaneers player while the team played against the Baltimore Ravens, in which the thieves are alleged to have stolen $167,000 worth of of luxury goods.
Three of the defendants also face charges in Ohio in connection with the December 2024 burglary targeting Bengals quarterback Burrow.
In the complaint, it is alleged that the burglars had ‘a clear and consistent modus operandi’ that began with them identifying from the sports star’s schedule when they would be away from the property.
Ohio police arrest four men for burglary of NFL star Joe Burrow’s home
They would enter through a broken window or by using a crowbar to pry open a sliding door, according to prosecutors.
Once inside, they are said to have quickly identified the highest-value items, while using ‘throw phones’ for a period of one month to ‘thwart law enforcement’.
At least one of the burglaries is said to have occurred in Hillsborough in Florida, where the complaint was filed on Tuesday.
It is believed that members of the group hired cars in Florida that were ‘later found in the vicinity of burglaries committed nationwide of prominent athletes’.
