A gang of Chilean nationals has been charged with a string of robberies that stole millions in valuables from “high-profile athletes” across the U.S. — including the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
The seven illegal immigrants — Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24; Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20; Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27; Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22; Bastian Orellano Morales, 23; Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, 24, and Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38 — were all charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, a criminal complaint unsealed in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, revealed.
The men are suspected members of a “South American Theft Group” who “targeted high-profile athletes in the National Football League (“NFL”) and National Basketball Association (“NBA”), all of whom were away or playing in professional games at the time of the burglaries,” prosecutors said.
Mahomes had his Belton, Mo., mansion robbed just after midnight on Oct. 6. and Kelce’s home was also broken into in the Kansas City area on Oct. 7, according to Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
The gang is suspected of breaking into the homes while the Chiefs were gearing up to face off against the New Orleans Saints in Kansas City.
The Chilean nationals allegedly made off with “jewelry, watches, cash, and other luxury merchandise” during the Missouri burglaries, prosecutors revealed.
Two weeks later, the illegal immigrants allegedly struck again, but in Tampa.
“On October 21, 2024, the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was burglarized while the team played in Tampa. Jewelry, designer watches, a luxury suitcase, and a firearm were stolen,” the criminal complaint said.
The Buccaneers were playing the Baltimore Ravens in Tampa around the time of the robbery.
The alleged gangbangers are also linked to a burglary at the home of a Milwaukee Bucks player during a game in Milwaukee on Nov. 2.
“A safe containing several watches, chains, personal items, jewelry, and cash was stolen, along with a designer suitcase and designer bags,” prosecutors said.
“The total value of property stolen was approximately $1.484 million.”
Days later, the gang is suspected of breaking into the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Dec. 9 while the team was in Texas to play the Cowboys.
The Chilean migrants made off with roughly $300,000 worth of his luxury possessions, including the NFL star’s personalized diamond-encrusted chains, federal prosecutors said.
Three of the suspects’ names in the charging documents — Quiroga Sanchez, Orellano Morales, and Ortega Cabello — brazenly posted photos with their stolen loot.
The photos, laid bare in court documents, showed the alleged perps flashing Burrow’s watches, glasses, Louis Vuitton luggage and wads of cash.
Surveillance footage also captured at least one of the men carrying luggage through a wooded area behind the home after the break-in.
The trio was eventually nabbed on Jan. 10 near Fairborn, Ohio during a local traffic stop and indicted in federal court in Cincinnati earlier this month for the robbery. They have also been charged with falsifying records in a federal investigation.
Lastly, the complaint said in the “late afternoon on December 19, 2024, and the early morning of December 20, 2024, the Tennessee home of a Memphis Grizzlies player was burglarized while the team played in Memphis, Tennessee.”
The brazen gang again made off with “jewelry, watches, and luxury bags valued at about $1 million.”
In total, the alleged perps stole an estimated more than $2 million in valuables in the string of robberies.
If found guilty, the men could each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
