Four Illegal Immigrants Charged with Targeting NFL Superstar in Gang Operation

Four illegal immigrants have been arrested in connection with a series of burglaries targeting wealthy neighborhoods, including an Ohio home where Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow lives.

Cincinnati NBC news outlet WLWT reported that the suspects were identified as Alexander Chavez, Bastian Morales, Jordan Sanchez and Sergio Cabello, all Chilean nationals.

Court documents indicated that the four were arrested during “an ongoing investigation involving burglaries of multi-million dollar homes in multiple states,” according to the report.

They are being charged with participating in a criminal gang, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, obstructing official business, and possession of criminal tools, WLWT reported.

Among the items found in their possession were “an old LSU shirt and Bengals hat” believed to have been stolen in the Dec. 9 burglary of Burrow’s home.

Burrow’s house was burglarized while his team was in Texas, beating the Dallas Cowboys, according to a report by CBS Sports.

A car the suspects were riding in was stopped by police in early January.

They initially provided false identification, according to WLWT.

“After the four male Chileans’ true identifications were learned, all four males were identified as being illegally in the country or overstayed their permissions,” court documents said.

Investigators found cell phone data that linked at least one of the phones to a Hamilton County cell tower on the day of the burglary at Burrow’s home.

The NFL issued a security alert in November after other NFL stars’ homes — including Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce — were burglarized just before or during games, according to a report by the Associated Press.

“[T]he league says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become ‘increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups,’” a memo obtained by the AP said.

“Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood.”

They said, the thieves “targeted homes in secluded areas and [focused] on master bedrooms and closet areas.”

The memo advised players to avoid posting their whereabouts on social media “until the end of the day.”

It also cautioned them against posting “expensive items” on social media.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.