Chilean crime ring charged in robberies of NFL, NBA athletes’ homes : NPR

Seven Chilean men are facing federal charges in Florida related to a series of high-profile “crime tourism” burglaries of six professional athletes' homes across the country between October and December.

Court documents don't identify the athletes targeted by the international crime ring by name. But they include details that align with burglaries at the homes of NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Players from the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies were also victimized, according to an affidavit filed as part of the federal criminal complaint.

Prosecutors in Florida's Middle District announced the charges on Tuesday, adding to criminal counts that some of the men already face in state and federal courts in Ohio, where Burrow's home was burglarized in December.

Stolen goods in the cases include luxury items like racks of Rolex watches, along with jewelry and Louis Vuitton suitcases.

In all, prosecutors say, the stolen goods and cash total millions of dollars. Court documents don't provide precise totals for each burglary, but items worth an estimated $1,484,000 were stolen from a Milwaukee Bucks player in November, while a Memphis Grizzlies player lost about $1 million in goods in December.

The men listed in the criminal complaint are: Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut, Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Orellano Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez and Sergio Ortego Cabello.

When NPR contacted the federal public defender's office in Tampa, it declined to comment on the case.

The FBI believes the seven Chilean men are part of a South American Theft Group — the term law enforcement uses to describe small groups of thieves breaking into high-end houses in coordinated crimes around the country. The burglars have often come to the U.S. illegally, or have overstayed their visas, according to law enforcement agencies.

As in the cases involving pro athletes, the burglars routinely take only luxury items and cash.

An affidavit in the federal complaint describes how investigators tracked down the suspects, collating data from cellphone towers and license plate readers to look for phone numbers and cars that could be linked to the crime scenes.

The FBI then secured search warrants to access several Apple iCloud accounts — and one allegedly belonging to Cartes held photos that “show him and others with the jewelry of Professional Athlete 4 within minutes of his being burglarized,” the affidavit states.

The FBI has identified strategies used by these groups engaging in “crime tourism,” in which international burglary teams travel across the U.S. to steal from homes in affluent areas. Crime ring members rent cars in Florida using fake IDs, drive to the home of an athlete they know is playing in a game, and break in. Along the way, the criminals are believed to cycle through temporary phone accounts.

The recent round of high-profile burglaries has renewed scrutiny of Chile and its participation in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows foreign nationals to visit the U.S. without a visa. Chile is the only country in South America with VWP status.

When reached by NPR for comment about the criminal cases, a spokesperson for Chile's embassy in the U.S. noted that the country signed an agreement in 2023 to share more information about visitors.

The embassy spokesperson also said that since last September, U.S. Homeland Security has been able to get real-time criminal record information for anyone applying to travel to the U.S. They say the change has meant more Chileans with criminal backgrounds are being denied visa-free travel to the U.S.