Seven Chilean men have been charged in a federal court in Florida for reportedly orchestrating a series of burglaries targeting the homes of well-known professional athletes across the United States, as stated in a criminal complaint from the FBI.
Although the specific names of the athletes involved are not disclosed in the complaint, it does mention incidents that have been publicly identified. These incidents include burglaries connected to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow from the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NBA teams, the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.
The allegations suggest that this group is involved in a burglary ring that strategically targets high-profile athletes when they are away from their residences. Reports indicate that the men are alleged to have stolen approximately $2 million worth of valuables, including watches, jewelry, cash, and even a safe that they managed to break into.
All seven individuals face charges of conspiracy concerning the interstate transport of stolen property, a serious accusation that carries a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. As of Wednesday, it was unclear whether they are currently being held in custody, and there were no listed attorneys for them in the records from the federal court in Tampa.
The defendants are identified as 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. While the FBI describes them as Chilean in their documentation, it does not specify whether any of the men are U.S. citizens or have legal status in the country.
Some of these men were apprehended in January following a traffic stop in Ohio, where they faced state charges in connection with a break-in at Burrow’s home. The federal charges were subsequently filed on January 30 in Tampa.
Evidence cited in the FBI complaint largely relies on data acquired from cellphones, surveillance footage, and license plate readers, which purportedly place the defendants near the scenes of the burglaries. They allegedly employed rudimentary tactics like smashing windows or using crowbars to pry open sliding glass doors to gain entry.
According to the FBI’s findings, the burglars often approach homes from concealed areas like wooded or poorly lit spaces before executing their break-ins. One player from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly lost around $167,000 worth of items, inclusive of a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton suitcase, jewelry, and a firearm.
Interestingly, the group is said to have taken photographs with some of their stolen goods, which were incorporated into the FBI’s complaint. In one instance, a suspect was photographed wearing a Kansas City Chiefs shirt. The ring is known to split into smaller factions to conduct multiple burglaries simultaneously while often maintaining communication and shared networks for selling the stolen items, as outlined by the FBI affidavit.
