Seven males have been charged in connection to a nationwide string of break-ins concentrating on the houses {of professional} athletes together with Kansas Metropolis Chiefs gamers Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the FBI introduced Tuesday.
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, are dealing with as much as 10 years in federal jail if convicted of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.
FBI brokers mentioned the boys are Chilean nationals and identified to journey throughout the U.S. as a way to burglarize the houses of fashionable athletes from the NBA, NFL and NHL, in keeping with a felony grievance obtained by JHB. Gadgets taken from the athletes’ houses have included jewellery, luxurious watches, weapons and cash.
Professional athletes’ groups usually publicize their gamers’ schedules and recreation areas, making it simpler for the group to focus on their houses whereas they’re away, in keeping with the grievance. The group would allegedly break into every participant’s residence although a window or use a crowbar to open a sliding door.
Though the boys usually cut up up into smaller teams for burglaries, authorities alleged they labored collectively and used the identical consumers for stolen merchandise.
FBI brokers mentioned they linked the group to a housebreaking that in October 2024 on the residence of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers participant. The boys allegedly broke into his residence and stole roughly $167,000 value of things.
A search warrant for cell towers and Apple iCloud info related to the house’s location and the areas of a number of different burglaries linked the robberies to Pablo Zuniga Cartes, in keeping with the grievance. Additional inspection of the iCloud information revealed a photograph of him and different males posing with jewellery they allegedly stole from one other athlete’s residence, brokers mentioned.
It was not the primary time the group photographed themselves with stolen property, in keeping with the grievance. Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut might be seen posing subsequent to a stolen secure and jewellery shortly after brokers mentioned they stole $1.5 million value of property from the house of a Milwaukee Bucks participant. The date of that incident matched a theft reported by the Bucks’ Bobby Portis.
U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace, Center District of Florida
Brokers additionally linked the group to burglaries that occurred at houses belonging to the 2 Kansas Metropolis Chiefs gamers. The dates of these residence break-ins aligned with robberies reported on the houses of Mahomes and Travis Kelce, CNN reported.
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In response to the grievance, the boys have been additionally linked to a number of different robberies which included $300,000 value of property stolen from the house of a Cincinnati Bengals participant and $1 million value of property from the house of a Memphis Grizzlies participant.
Attorneys for the boys weren’t but listed in court docket data reviewed by JHB.