(AP) – For months, gangs of thieves tied to South American crime rings have been raiding heaps of jewelry and cash from the homes of America’s biggest sports stars, targeting NFL figures like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
The thieves have used drones and signal-jamming devices, sometimes posing as delivery drivers or maintenance workers, to access gated communities and bypass home security systems, according to warnings issued by the NFL and the NBA.
But in recent weeks, investigators in the United States have made several arrests tied to at least one high-profile theft and have uncovered stolen sports memorabilia, jewelry and art stored in warehouses in New Jersey.
A group of Chilean men were arrested in January while driving in Ohio, and last Monday they were charged with stealing nearly $300,000 worth of designer luggage, watches and jewelry from the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Photos showed one of the suspects wearing a sparkling necklace bearing Burrow’s jersey number, which he had worn during interviews, according to a federal charging document released on Wednesday.
“These individuals appear to be the tip of the iceberg,” said Kenneth Parker, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, who believes the men are working with South American theft rings that have for years raided opulent homes from coast to coast.
Some luxury watches and jewels stolen from homes across the country, not just from athletes, ended up being sold at a pawn shop in Manhattan’s Diamond District and stored in nearby warehouses, federal authorities said in court filings released Tuesday that accuse two men of trafficking the items.
It is not clear whether the entire wave of athlete-targeted robberies is connected to the same South American groups or whether those outfits are coordinating. Federal authorities leading the investigations have been tight-lipped since the FBI warned in December that criminal organizations were preying on professional athletes.
Superstars, Targets of Home Burglaries
Investigators say international criminal outfits have raided homes for years, but they are now going after some of the biggest names in the NFL, NBA and NHL.
The burglars stormed the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Mahomes and Kelce, just days apart in October as they prepared to face New Orleans.
Mahomes and Kelce were unsuccessful in pushing the Chiefs toward three consecutive Super Bowl titles.
Jewels valued at about $30,000 were stolen from the home of Lakers guard Luka Doncic in Dallas in December. The NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin reported a home invasion at his residence in January that occurred during a home game.
Similarities in the Robbery Series
Officials warned sports leagues last fall that the thieves had been targeting game days when players would not be at home, often breaking rear windows.
Some noticed that the thieves posed as home delivery drivers or as people running through secluded neighborhoods.
Burrow’s house in Ohio, located on a gated street next to a wooded area, was robbed while he was in Dallas in December. Weeks later, authorities found the attackers traveling with a Husky-brand tool to break glass that one of them bought at Home Depot, wrote an FBI agent in an affidavit.
Players have been advised not only to bolster their home security but also to refrain from posting their whereabouts on social media.
Seeking Items That Can Be Sold on the Black Market
The raiders focus on cash and items that can be resold on the black market, such as jewelry, watches and luxury handbags, according to an NBA warning based on FBI information.
The two men charged this week in New York City were accused of buying stolen watches, jewelry and other expensive items from robber groups and reselling them at their Manhattan pawn shop since 2020.
Court filings indicate the pair were linked to five distinct criminal groups and tied one of the two suspects to the men accused of breaking into the residence of a “high-profile athlete in Ohio” on the same day Burrow’s home was robbed.
A judge on Friday denied bail for the pawn shop owners, saying it would be “ironic” to release them just before the Super Bowl.
“This is a Super Bowl that the defendants will have to watch from prison,” United States District Judge William Kuntz wrote in his decision. “They will not be players this weekend.”
