Four men from Chile have been indicted in Ohio for their alleged involvement in a series of burglaries targeting multimillion-dollar homes. The Ohio attorney general refrained from confirming whether professional athletes were specifically targeted in these incidents.
The arrests of the four individuals took place earlier this month in Ohio after they were discovered in an SUV containing items believed to be stolen from a residence near Cincinnati on December 9. Among the recovered items were an LSU shirt and a Cincinnati Bengals hat.
Notably, the burglary on December 9 coincided with a break-in at the home of Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow while he was away playing a game in Dallas. However, there is no direct mention in court documents linking the four men to this particular incident or providing the address of Burrow's residence.
Authorities have not disclosed any potential connections between the accused individuals and a series of burglaries at the homes of prominent NFL, NHL, and NBA players. The FBI had previously issued a warning to sports leagues about organized crime groups targeting professional athletes, citing the involvement of organized theft groups from South America.
Court records from Clark County, Ohio, reveal that investigators have apprehended six separate burglary groups from South America, predominantly comprising Chilean nationals, as part of a broader investigation into multi-state break-ins. The specific details of these arrests, including their timing and locations, remain undisclosed.
The four men arrested in Fairborn, Ohio, have been formally charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, participating in a criminal gang, and possessing criminal tools. Additionally, it was discovered that all four individuals were either in the country illegally or had overstayed their permissions.
Investigators recovered tools used for breaking windows during the arrests, and three of the suspects were found to be in possession of fake identifications. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the December break-in at Joe Burrow's residence, although the property was ransacked and a bedroom window was shattered.
Following the incident, Burrow expressed feeling a profound violation of his privacy and emphasized the extent to which his personal information had been compromised.
