7 Chileans Charged for Burglarizing U.S. Pro Athletes’ Homes
February 19, Reuters On Wednesday, U.S. authorities filed criminal charges against seven alleged members of a Chilean theft ring who allegedly broke into professional players’ homes while they were playing and took expensive watches, jewelry, and cash.
NFL players Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs have admitted to being among the victims. Travis Kelce, a player for the Chiefs and the boyfriend of music sensation Taylor Swift, has not publicly addressed the reports that he was a victim.
Two weeks ago, three individuals were indicted in the Burrow case by a federal grand jury in Cincinnati. The three males and four other Chilean nationals, ages 22 to 38, are now the subject of a criminal complaint from federal prosecutors in Florida.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI has been looking into a group known as the Chilean South American Theft Group for breaking into the homes of well-known players from the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League and taking valuable items like jewelry, high-end watches, cash, and other valuables.
“The Chilean SATC is known to target high-profile professional athletes while they are known to be away from home,” the complaint stated.
According to the lawsuit, the ring was extremely well-organized, setting up fences to purchase the stolen stuff and employing makeshift “throw phones” to evade detection.
Nevertheless, by using cellphone signals and data collection, authorities were able to locate the suspects. After investigators using search warrants were able to locate photos on Apple iCloud, prosecutors released a picture of the accused with stolen goods.
The charges were filed in the Middle District of Florida, where at least one of the break-ins took place at the residence of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player.
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