7 Accused Of Multimillion-Dollar Burglaries Targeting Homes Of Pro Athletes
Seven men were charged in connection to a nationwide string of break-ins targeting the homes of professional athletes including Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the FBI announced Tuesday.
Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24; Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20; Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27; Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22; Bastian Orellano Morales, 23; Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, 24; and Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38, are facing up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.
FBI agents said the men are Chilean nationals and known to travel across the U.S. in order to burglarize the homes of popular athletes from the NBA, NFL and NHL, according to a criminal complaint obtained by HuffPost. Items taken from the athletes' homes have included jewelry, luxury watches, guns and money.
Pro athletes' teams often publicize their players' schedules and game locations, making it easier for the group to target their homes while they are away, according to the complaint. The group would allegedly break into each player's home though a window or use a crowbar to open a sliding door.
Although the men often split up into smaller groups for burglaries, authorities alleged they worked together and used the same buyers for stolen merchandise.
FBI agents said they linked the group to a burglary that in October 2024 at the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player. The men allegedly broke into his home and stole approximately $167,000 worth of items.
A search warrant for cell towers and Apple iCloud information associated with the home's location and the locations of several other burglaries linked the robberies to Pablo Zuniga Cartes, according to the complaint. Further inspection of the iCloud data revealed a photo of him and other men posing with jewelry they allegedly stole from another athlete's home, agents said.
It was not the first time the group photographed themselves with stolen property, according to the complaint. Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut could be seen posing next to a stolen safe and jewelry shortly after agents said they stole $1.5 million worth of property from the home of a Milwaukee Bucks player. The date of that incident matched a robbery reported by the Bucks' Bobby Portis.
Agents also linked the group to burglaries that occurred at homes belonging to the two Kansas City Chiefs players. The dates of those home break-ins aligned with robberies reported at the homes of Mahomes and Travis Kelce, CNN reported.
According to the complaint, the men were also linked to several other robberies which included $300,000 worth of property stolen from the home of a Cincinnati Bengals player and $1 million worth of property from the home of a Memphis Grizzlies player.
Attorneys for the men were not yet listed in court records reviewed by HuffPost.
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