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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Chilean police recover Keanu Reeves' stolen luxury watches in raid; hands them over to the FBI
Chilean authorities said Tuesday they turned six valuable watches stolen from Canadian actor - including an engraved Rolex worth at least $9,500 - over to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, months after recovering them in a police raid. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The FBI will arrange for their return to Reeves, best known for his roles in action franchises like " The Matrix " and " John Wick." Chilean prosecutors told reporters that Reeves had identified the watches as those stolen from his Los Angeles home during a string of high-profile burglaries in December 2023. The announcement was made as the Trump administration's Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, arrived in the South American country for meetings with Chilean officials about transnational crime, among other issues. Noem was also the victim of a robbery attributed to a Chilean national residing illegally in the U.S., when her purse was stolen last April at a Washington restaurant. Reeves' six watches are valued at a total of $125,000, said Marcelo Varas, a police officer from Chile's robbery investigation squad. The watches stolen from Reeves' Hollywood Hills home turned up in Santiago, Chile's capital, when police raided homes and uncovered stolen cars, iPhones, luxury watches and designer purses. That operation coincided with another Chilean investigation, coordinated with the FBI, into a spate of burglaries by South America-based crime groups targeting multimillion-dollar homes in the U.S., many belonging to celebrities and professional athletes, such as Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce. In April, police in Chile announced the arrest of 23 citizens over the string of break-ins. Varas said authorities were still investigating any link between the theft of Reeves' watches and the other high-profile burglaries.
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Chile hands luxury watches stolen from Keanu Reeves over to the FBI
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean authorities said Tuesday they turned six valuable watches stolen from Canadian actor Keanu Reeves — including an engraved Rolex worth at least $9,500 — over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, months after recovering them in a police raid. The FBI will arrange for their return to Reeves, best known for his roles in action franchises like ' The Matrix ' and ' John Wick ." Chilean prosecutors told reporters that Reeves had identified the watches as those stolen from his Los Angeles home during a string of high-profile burglaries in December 2023. The announcement was made as the Trump administration's Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, arrived in the South American country for meetings with Chilean officials about transnational crime, among other issues. Noem was also the victim of a robbery attributed to a Chilean national residing illegally in the US, when her purse was stolen last April at a Washington restaurant. Reeves' six watches are valued at a total of $125,000, said Marcelo Varas, a police officer from Chile's robbery investigation squad. The watches stolen from Reeves' Hollywood Hills home turned up in Santiago, Chile's capital, when police raided homes and uncovered stolen cars, iPhones, luxury watches and designer purses. That operation coincided with another Chilean investigation, coordinated with the FBI, into a spate of burglaries by South America-based crime groups targeting multimillion-dollar homes in the US, many belonging to celebrities and professional athletes, such as Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce. In April, police in Chile announced the arrest of 23 citizens over the string of break-ins. Varas said authorities were still investigating any link between the theft of Reeves' watches and the other high-profile burglaries.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Chile authorities hand luxury watches stolen from actor Keanu Reeves over to the FBI
Chilean authorities say they have turned six valuable watches stolen from Canadian actor Keanu Reeves over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, months after recovering them in a police raid. Reeves was able to identify the stolen watches, including a Rolex, taken from his house in Los Angeles during a string of high-profile burglaries in December 2023. The items turned up in Santiago when police raided homes and uncovered stolen cars, phones, luxury watches and designer hand bags. The operation was related to an earlier investigation by Chilean authorities and the FBI into a spate of burglaries, targeting the multi-million-dollar homes of celebrities and professional athletes. Victims of these burglaries included NFL players Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. The announcement was made as the Trump administration's secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem, arrived in the South American country for meetings with Chilean officials about transnational crime, among other issues. Ms Noem was also the victim of a robbery attributed to a Chilean national residing illegally in the United States, when her bag was stolen last April at a Washington restaurant. Reeves's six watches are valued at a total of $US125,000 ($191,000). In April, police in Chile announced the arrest of 23 people over the string of break-ins. Aided by the FBI, authorities carried out raids across Santiago codenamed Operation Pennsylvania, which led to the seizure of 1.3 billion pesos ($2,076,617) worth of goods. "This phenomenon of international thieves has regretfully existed in our country for many years, but it's unfortunately been on the rise recently," prosecutor Eduardo Baeza said during a press conference. Seven suspected members of the Chilean theft ring were charged in the US in February. Federal prosecutors in Florida filed a criminal complaint against the Chilean nationals ranging in age from 22 to 38. The highly organised ring were using temporary phones to avoid detection, the complaint said. Investigators were able to track them down using phone signals and capturing data. Links between the theft of Reeves's watches and the other high-profile burglaries are still being investigated. ABC/Wires
Powys County Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Chile hands luxury watches stolen from Keanu Reeves over to the FBI
Chilean authorities said they turned six valuable watches stolen from Canadian actor Keanu Reeves over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, months after recovering them in a police raid. One of the stolen watches is an engraved Rolex worth at least 9,500 dollars. The FBI will arrange for their return to Reeves, best known for his roles in action franchises like The Matrix and John Wick. Chilean prosecutors told reporters that Reeves had identified the watches as those stolen from his Los Angeles home during a string of high-profile burglaries in December 2023. The announcement was made as the Trump administration's secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem, arrived in the South American country for meetings with Chilean officials about transnational crime, among other issues. Ms Noem was also the victim of a robbery attributed to a Chilean national residing illegally in the US, when her handbag was stolen last April at a Washington restaurant. Reeves' six watches are valued at a total of 125,000 dollars (£93,550), said Marcelo Varas, a police officer from Chile's robbery investigation squad. The watches stolen from Reeves' Hollywood Hills home turned up in Santiago, Chile's capital, when police raided homes and uncovered stolen cars, iPhones, luxury watches and designer handbags. That operation coincided with another Chilean investigation, co-ordinated with the FBI, into a spate of burglaries by South America-based crime groups targeting multimillion-dollar homes in the US, many belonging to celebrities and professional athletes, such as Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce. In April, police in Chile announced the arrest of 23 citizens over the string of break-ins. Mr Varas said authorities were still investigating any link between the theft of Reeves' watches and the other high-profile burglaries.
UPI
14 hours ago
- UPI
FBI's Boston office warns New Englanders of rising phone scams
The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (main HQ pictured in February in Washington, D.C.) said last year over 17,300 Americans were scam victims victims that saw criminals impersonate government or other law enforcement agencies with financial losses totaling more than $405 million. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 29 (UPI) -- FBI officials in New England on Tuesday issued a public warning over an uptick in scam phone calls purporting to be law enforcement in a bid to steal money or other personal info. The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said last year over 17,300 Americans reported as scam victims that saw criminals impersonate government or other law enforcement agencies. Such scams resulted in financial losses totaling more than $405 million. "We've seen an increase in these scams, which is why we're reminding the public to resist the urge to act immediately and verify who is actually contacting you," Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge at the FBI's Boston Division, said in a statement. Boston's FBI division says scams impersonating the FBI and other government agencies are "a persistent problem" that can also occur via email. "Be advised, law enforcement and federal agencies do not call individuals threatening arrest or demanding money," according to federal officials. They added that scammers can "spoof" caller ID information to make it appear a call is arriving from a legitimate phone number. Docks said that fraudsters currently are "capitalizing on fear and intimidation" because, he pointed out, "nobody wants to be the subject of a law enforcement investigation." His office warned possible victims that if a person thinks they are a victim of a scam or suffered a financial loss to "cease all contact with the scammers immediately, notify your financial institutions and safeguard any financial accounts." According to the bureau, scammer tactics change continually but often share similar characteristics, such as intimidation, using an urgent tone, crypto-related payments, suggesting secrecy or using a supposed emergency situation as leverage. On Tuesday, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center said 778 New Englanders from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire to Rhode Island had reported scams with nearly $13 million in reported financial loses for victims. In Massachusetts, at least 507 residents collectively lost more than $9.5 million compared to Rhode Island's 67 victims who lost about $147,880. The FBI said it will never call or email to demand payment, threaten arrest, ask anything related to money or request sensitive personal data. It further suggested to keep all relevant documentation. "Do not send money to anybody you do not personally know and trust," FBI officials stated. "Never give out your personal information, including your Social Security number, over the phone or to individuals you do not know," they added. Last year in November the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency raised the alarm over scams that saw fraudsters claim to be federal CBP employees demanding money or other items from FBI advisement came on the heels of April's revelation of a "steady" uptick in the New England region of fraud relating to quit claim deeds. But the federal government says even if there was no financial loss, "all types of fraud schemes and scams" should warrant a report to the Internet crime division for analysis or referral to aid the public fight against scammers. Meanwhile, Boston's FBI division advised the public to contact its office at 857-386-2000 if a person is seeking to confirm contact by an actual federal employee, or file an Internet crime report.
