Milwaukee Bucks championship ring stolen from Bobby Portis in River Hills home burglary

Yahoo

25-02-2025

Nearly $1.5 million worth of Bobby Portis' belongings, including the basketball star's 2021 Milwaukee Bucks championship ring, were stolen from his River Hills home in the November burglary that seven members of a South American theft group now face charges for.
Portis returned from the Nov. 2 Milwaukee Bucks game to find a smashed window and a "ransacked" bedroom, according to a police report released to the Journal Sentinel Tuesday. A safe containing the $1 million championship ring, several watches, jewelry and personal items was missing.
After a months-long investigation, federal prosecutors in Florida charged seven Chilean men on Tuesday Feb. 18 with burglarizing the homes of high-profile professional athletes, including Portis, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow.
The River Hills Police Department released the document to media starting on Feb. 21 after a months-long court negotiation with media over the report. The department also released the video surveillance footage of the robbery, showing the burglars breaking into the home through the front door and leaving with what appears to be a safe.
In a statement sent to the Journal Sentinel Feb. 25, River Hills Police Chief Michael Gaynor said the report was released as a result of the charges being filed on Feb. 18.
According to the police report:
Portis returned home from a Bucks game on Nov. 2, 2024 to find that his bedroom window had been smashed and his safe had been stolen, along with multiple other items.
Among the items Portis eventually reported stolen was the 2021 NBA championship ring, along with several Rolex watches, luxury travel bags full of clothes, jewelry pieces, $50,000 in cash and personal letters and photos. The green-and-silver championship ring had 400 diamonds and was valued at $1 million.
Portis called police around 11:21 p.m., and officers arrived at the scene to inspect the house and conduct interviews with Portis' and friends and family who had shown up in support.
The officer observed signs of the burglary all over Portis' room: glass all over the floors and opened drawers as though someone had rummaged through them.
Video surveillance footage installed in Portis' home showed two masked individuals walk up to Portis's bedroom door, peek through the windows and shatter the glass with a window breaker.
The suspects entered the bedroom at 6:59 p.m. and exited Portis' home with the safe and other items eight minutes later at 7:07 p.m.
The ensuing investigation involved interviewing neighbors and others close to Portis, multiple search warrants and collaboration with other agencies to connect Portis' case to the other cases.
The members of the South American theft group are charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property in a federal court in Tampa, Florida. If convicted, the charges carry up to 10 years in prison.
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the day after the charges were filed, Portis told reporters he was pleased to see the charges.
"It's like you put all you can into the game and then you come home and just all your belongings are gone, things you worked hard for," he said. "It's kind of gratifying that these guys have been caught. Obviously, because you work so hard for your things."
Contact Claudia Levens at [e-mail]. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks championship ring stolen in Bobby Portis burglary