7 Chileans are charged by US prosecutors with breaking into professional sportsmen’ homes

Seven suspected members of a Chilean theft ring were charged with crimes by U.S. authorities on Wednesday. The gang allegedly broke into the houses of elite athletes while they were playing and stole luxury watches, jewelry, and cash.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes have both admitted to being among the victims. Although he has not publicly addressed the matter, Chiefs player Travis Kelce, who is the boyfriend of music sensation Taylor Swift, was also widely alleged to have been a victim.

Two weeks ago, a federal grand jury in Cincinnati indicted three men in connection with the Burrow case. A criminal complaint has now been filed against those three men and four other Chilean nationals, ages 22 to 38, by federal prosecutors in Florida.

A criminal complaint claims that the FBI has been looking into a so-called Chilean South American Theft Group that broke into the homes of well-known players from the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League and stole jewelry, high-end watches, cash, and other valuable items.

“The Chilean SATC is known to target high-profile professional athletes while they are known to be away from home,” according to the complaint.

The ring was extremely well-organized, according to the complaint, setting up fences to purchase the stolen stuff and employing makeshift “throw phones” to evade detection.

Despite this, authorities were able to locate the suspects by using data collection and mobile signals. A picture of the accused holding stolen goods was released by the prosecution after investigators using search warrants were able to locate photos on Apple iCloud.

In the Middle District of Florida, where the charges were brought, at least one of the break-ins took place at the residence of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player.

Additionally, players from the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks were targeted.