A group of seven Chilean nationals have been charged in connection with the multimillion-dollar thefts from the homes of professional athletes, including Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce.
The home invasions were reportedly masterminded by a South American theft ring that flew foreigners into the U.S. to case and rob homes, after which they would fly back home with their loot, Fox News reported.
The federal complaint published on Tuesday reveals that the gang had been working since at least October and was targeting the homes of wealthy professional athletes that the alleged crooks knew would be away from home at games when the break-ins were perpetrated.
“In many circumstances, professional sports teams will publicize their schedules and locations of their games, making it easy for the SATG to know when a particular athlete on a particular professional sports team will be away from his residence,” the complaint explained.
Photos were released showing the migrants holding items stolen from the homes of the athletes.
The document identified Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22; Bastian Orellano Morales, 23; Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38; Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24; Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20; Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, 24; and Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27.
Players whose homes were hit include NFL players Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce, NBA players Luka Doncic and Bobby Portis, and others. The filing also mentions that players on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Memphis Grizzlies were also targeted, but the document did not name the players.
The NFL warned players in November that the South American theft ring was targeting their homes and suggested that they increase their home security, among other things.
Authorities had arrested four other Chilean nationals in January in connection with the same string of robberies.
This month, Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy called on the Trump administration to place closer scrutiny on Visa requests and travel from Chile, which until now been given freer access to the U.S. With the gangs so easily flying in and out of the country, Roy said Chile’s access needed to be reassessed.
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