TAMPA, Fla. — A suspected serial burglar stole more than $650,000 in jewelry from Rays shortstop Wander Franco’s Rolls Royce while the young star was training in Jacksonville in June, according to an ESPN report.
Kahlil Eugene Mathis, 24, faces a charge of burglary of an unoccupied vehicle in connection with the theft, according to an arrest report. While the victim’s name is redacted from the arrest report due to Marsy’s Law, ESPN identified Franco as the victim.
According to the arrest report, several items were taken from Franco’s car, including:
A gold and diamond medallion, valued at $70,000, which spells “FRANCO 5″ in green and blue lettering, according to ESPN.
A gold and diamond encrusted Cuban link chain and circle medallion with a “W” in the center, valued at $300,000.
A rose gold Cuban link chain valued at $200,000.
A $44,000 Rolex watch.
Two championship rings, valued at $20,000 each, including an American League and a Durham ring, according to ESPN.
A gold Tom and Jerry necklace worth $5,000.
A $60 safe containing all the jewelry
Jacksonville Sheriff’s deputies said the burglary took place about 3 a.m. on June 22 in the parking garage of a Double Tree Hotel. In security camera footage, Mathis can be seen wearing dark clothing and a mask. He approaches Franco’s Rolls Royce with a large wrench, according to the arrest report. Mathis was then seen running away from the car with Franco’s safe, deputies said.
Two pieces of jewelry were sold at a pawn shop the next day, according to the arrest report. Deputies found the safe in an apartment roughly six miles from the hotel. Two of the championship rings were inside the safe. The Sheriff’s Office has not been able to find Franco’s Cuban link chains or the Rolex, according to ESPN.
According to jail records, Mathis faces more than 20 charges, including five counts of burglary. He was being held in jail Friday on $906,566 bail.
Franco is currently sidelined with a fracture in his right hand and is not traveling with the Rays. He declined to comment through the team, calling it a personal matter.
Franco, 21, is considered one of the premier young talents in the game, having been ranked the No. 1 prospect for two years before making his major league debut in June 2021. This has been a disappointing first full season for him with the Rays, as he has twice been sidelined for extended time due to injury.
The Dominican Republic native signed with the Rays as a 16-year-old for a $3.825 million bonus in 2017. He was rewarded richly after making it to the majors last year, as the Rays in November signed him to a contract extension for a guaranteed $182 million over 11 years. With options and escalator clauses, the contract has the potential to be worth $223 million over 12 years. That was the longest and largest contract awarded in the team’s 25-year-history.
Franco has an affinity for some luxury items, having driven, at times, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV, a Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 53 with customization, per a TMZ report, that included “a steering wheel decked out in diamonds.”
When playing he often wears a thick silver chain with his uniform No. 5 made of diamonds; the team did a plastic replica as a giveaway earlier this season.
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Tamp Bay Times staff writer Marc Topkin contributed to this report.
