Chilean gang charged in US for burglaries targeting star athletes

What does Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr. have in common with NFL star Patrick Mahomes? What about quarterback Joe Burrow and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend? They’re not just elite athletes. They’re all victims of a sophisticated gang of Latin American thieves who specialized in breaking into professional athletes’ mansions across the country to rob them of jewelry, luxury watches and other high-end items. The Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed a criminal complaint against seven Chilean citizens, who face federal charges over a series of burglaries that netted them more than three million dollars.

Bucks forward Bobby Portis posted a message on social media last November asking for help. “I consider Milwaukee my home. Last night, while I was at work, my home was burglarized, and many of my prized possessions were stolen. If you have any tips or info, please send them to info@bobbyportis.com. Rewards for info leading to recovery or arrests!” At the time of the burglary, Portis was busy scoring ten points in his team’s loss to the Cleveland Cavs. As he did so, his home security cameras recorded a pair of men breaking a bedroom window and entering the residence. They took a safe with several watches, gold chains, jewelry and cash. They also stole a Louis Vuitton suitcase and designer accessories.

Federal authorities now believe the hit was orchestrated by a gang made up of Pablo Zúñiga Cartes, Ignacio Zúñiga Cartes, Bastian Jiménez Freraut, Jordan Quiroga Sánchez, Bastian Orellano Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chávez and Sergio Ortega Cabello, all of them Chilean citizens between the ages of 23 and 38. The FBI has linked these names to six robberies that occurred in five states: Missouri, Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee. The defendants face sentences of at least 10 years in federal prison.

It was of little use that the thieves changed the SIM cards on their cell phones almost every month to avoid being tracked. They had a habit of taking selfies with the stolen merchandise. In one of these photos, Pablo Zúñiga, 24, holds the phone in his right hand. Behind him are his accomplices with the diamond chains and the luxury watches. The image obtained by prosecutors was taken on the night of November 2, minutes after the gang entered Bobby Portis’ house in Wisconsin.

“In the picture, Zúñiga Cartes is wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey, a reference to his previous robberies. (...) In my experience, robbers often brag about their hits to other members of the criminal network,” said Mark Sterling, the FBI agent in charge of the prosecution.

The same fate befell Joe Burrow, the star quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. The burglars broke into his home in Anderson Township, Ohio, while the team was playing the Cowboys at Dallas Stadium during a Monday Night Football game. The robbery occurred between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Burrow had traveled to Texas the day before and the thieves took advantage of a shift change among the security guards to enter his residence through the back, where there were no security cameras. They stole five designer handbags, glasses, watches and jewelry valued at about $300,000.

The names of the sports stars who were targeted, who play for the NFL, NBA and NHL, have not been revealed by the Justice Department. However, the victims, the places and the dates coincide with information published in recent months. The FBI does not rule out the possibility that the gang may have committed more robberies. The FBI notified major sports leagues in late December that elite athletes’ homes were being burglarized. At least nine high-profile athletes were targeted between September and November 2024.

The first burglary cited in the FBI investigation occurred in late October in Tampa, Florida inside the home of a player for the local NFL team, the Buccaneers. The crime took place in the afternoon, while the Buccaneers were playing the Baltimore Ravens. Again, the burglars broke in through a window to steal jewelry and a Rolex watch for a haul valued at $167,000.

Since then, FBI agents have conducted a nationwide search to match reports of home burglaries that fit the same pattern. The investigation found that the homes of Mahomes and Kelce, one of American football’s hottest duos, had been burglarized almost back-to-back — on October 5 and 7.

The criminal complaint states that the gang committed violations of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property, and “conspired to burglarize the homes of professional athletes around the country.”

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