7 Chileans accused of stealing millions in valuables from Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow
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Three of the suspects took selfies next to a safe and stolen items. Another donned expensive jewelry. One even wore a Kansas City Chiefs jersey.
Three months later they have been charged, along with several other Chilean nationals, with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property after they allegedly broke in and stole valuables worth more than $2 million from the homes of professional athletes.
According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., the seven defendants have been targeting athletes in the United States since October, executing well-planned burglaries of their homes while they competed in games. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The suspects apparently couldn’t keep from incriminating themselves. Three of those charged — Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20, and Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27 — are in a photo posing next to a safe containing about $1.5 million in watches, chains, jewelry, designer bags and cash stolen from the Wisconsin home of Milwaukee Bucks player Bobby Portis.
According to the 20-page FBI complaint, key evidence was obtained because the men allegedly posted incriminating photos on an iCloud site. Authorities said the Chileans methods included “renting vehicles, obtaining hotels or short-stay rentals, acquiring fraudulent identification and contacting [buyers] of the stolen merchandise.”
Some of the suspects were pulled over by police on an Ohio highway in late January. An officer asked them in Spanish where they were headed, and one answered, “Orlando,” the complaint said. When the officer responded, “wrong direction,” another passenger said, “New York,” according to authorities. An officer searched the car, finding a crowbar and two tools used to break windows. The men were arrested.
According to an FBI report obtained by ABC, organized theft groups from South America are behind recent burglaries at the homes of at least nine pro athletes.
Dodgers, Rams and LAFC players also have been targeted, but it’s unclear if those break-ins are connected to other South American theft groups.
The home of LAFC striker Olivier Giroud was the target of a burglary this month, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Law enforcement sources told The Times that half a million dollars’ worth of items were taken from the West L.A. house, including several watches.
The Los Angeles homes of Dodgers infielders Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman were burglarized in 2023. Muncy’s home was broken into by two people while he and his family were at Dodger Stadium. Freeman’s home also was burglarized while he was away.
Thieves took an estimated $30,000 in jewelry from Luka Doncic’s home in Dallas while he was on the road Dec. 30 before the superstar guard was traded to the Lakers. And the Medina, Minn., home of Mike Conley Jr. was burglarized while the guard was playing in a game with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Although the names of victims were omitted from the federal complaint, the dates and locations of the burglaries line up with several high-profile thefts that have been reported.
The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized Oct. 5 and 7, with the thieves taking jewelry, watches, cash and other luxury merchandise. The second burglary occurred while the team played a game.
In an exclusive gated neighborhood in L.A., the home of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban was broken into. It’s not yet clear what was taken.
Also detailed in the complaint, the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was burglarized while the team played a home game. Jewelry and a firearm were stolen.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had his Anderson Township, Ohio, home broken into Dec. 9 while at a game in Dallas. The complaint notes the date of a burglary at a “Cincinnati player’s home” as Dec. 9. In an earlier court filing, some of the same defendants were charged with stealing $300,000 worth of designer luggage, watches and jewelry from Burrow’s house.
Photos showed one suspect wearing an extravagant necklace with Burrow’s No. 9 jersey number. Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38, rented a car in Florida with a fraudulent Argentinian ID and allegedly used it in the burglary, according to prosecutors.
A federal grand jury in Cincinnati on Feb. 5 charged Cabello, Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22, and Bastian Orellano Morales, 23, with transporting stolen goods interstate and falsifying records in a federal investigation in connection with the Burrow burglary.
“Our investigation remains ongoing as these individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American Theft Groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere,” U.S. Atty. Kenneth L. Parker said after the charges were filed. “We owe it to the victims, whether they are or are not professional athletes, to follow the evidence into these alleged criminal networks and hold the law-breakers accountable.
“I cannot thank our law enforcement partners enough for their commitment to working together to track down these perpetrators. Today is a day that law enforcement scored and spiked the ball.”
Crews of thieves who travel from Chile and other South American nations for the purpose of stealing jewels and luxury goods are not new in Los Angeles, authorities say, but such heists “are way, way up.”
The string of thefts prompted the FBI to issue a warning to sports leagues noting that crime groups are targeting athletes’ homes in pursuit of cash and valuables. The FBI bulletin said that members of criminal gangs “conduct physical and technical surveillance in preparation for these burglaries. Organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to block Wi-Fi connections and disable devices, cover security cameras, and obfuscate their identities.”
In a warning to players in November, the NFL said thieves “appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes’ homes on game days.” Players were advised to avoid sharing their location on social media in real time and to ensure that their valuables could not be viewed from outside their home. The warning shared in the recent FBI report echoed this advice and also recommended that athletes keep a close inventory of their valuables and refrain from sharing pictures of the interior of their homes on social media.
In addition to Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Freraut, Cabello, Sanchez and Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez was charged as part of the South American theft group.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
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