Seven men from Chile have been charged in Florida federal court with orchestrating burglaries at the homes of prominent professional athletes across the United States. The criminal complaint, filed by the FBI, does not disclose the names of the athletes but mentions incidents involving athletes such as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Memphis Grizzlies.
The defendants are accused of being part of a burglary ring that specifically targets high-profile professional athletes when they are away from home. They allegedly stole approximately $2 million worth of watches, jewelry, cash, and other valuables, including cracking a safe during one of the burglaries.
Each defendant faces charges of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. As of now, it is unclear whether the defendants are in custody, and there are no listed attorneys for them in Tampa federal court records.
The individuals charged are identified as Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut, Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Orellano Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, and Sergio Ortega Cabello. While the FBI states they are Chilean in the charging documents, it does not specify if any or all of them are U.S. citizens or legally present in the country.
Some of the defendants were apprehended in January following a traffic stop in Ohio on state charges related to a break-in at the home of Joe Burrow. The federal charges in Tampa were filed on January 30.
The FBI complaint relies on evidence such as cellphone data, surveillance footage, and license plate reader records that allegedly place the defendants near the locations of the burglaries. The burglars reportedly used methods like breaking windows or prying open sliding glass doors with crowbars.
According to the FBI affidavit, the burglars would approach residences from concealed areas like wooded or dark spots before breaking in. One Tampa Bay Buccaneers player had items worth around $167,000 stolen, including a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton suitcase, jewelry, and a firearm.
The group of burglars even took photos of themselves with some of the stolen items, which were included in the criminal complaint. The FBI notes that the group would often split into smaller units to carry out multiple burglaries but would coordinate, communicate, and sell stolen goods to the same buyers.
