Following a string of burglaries aimed at “high-profile athletes” in the National Football League ( NFL ), the National Hockey League ( NHL), and the National Basketball Association ( NBA ), the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida on Tuesday announced charges against seven Chilean nationals. The Chilean immigrants are apparently illegal immigrants.
The seven Chilean nationals claimed they were a part of the South American Theft Group ( SATG ) and that the group had “burglized the homes of professional athletes around the country,” according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed against them in a Tuesday press release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The press release noted that the suspects, who have been reported as unlawful immigrants by The New York Post, targeted “high-profile sports” and that the players were all “away” or were “playing in professional sports at the days of the thefts”. The suspects are accused of stealing more than$ 2 million worth of goods.
According to the criminal complaint filed against the suspects,” Professional sports teams will frequently make their schedules and games known, so that the SATG can find out when a certain athlete on a specific professional sports team will be absent from his residence.”
The seven defendants were identified by the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida as 20-year-old Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 22-year-old Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 23-year-old Bastian Orellano Morales, 24-year-old Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24-year-old Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, 27-year-old Bastian Jimenez Freraut, and 38-year-old Sergio Ortega Cabello.
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According to the offenders ‘ press release on Tuesday, they have been charged with” conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen home” and could spend up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
In October of this year, the defendants were charged with burglarizing the properties of two Kansas City Chiefs people. In October, a past report alleged that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes had been burglarized.
The suspects pose alongside the stolen goods in a photo that some of the workers shared on X, previously Online. The photo was taken soon after the Chilean citizens broke into the Milwaukee Bucks player’s house in Wisconsin, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Additionally, according to the press release, the swimmer was allegedly taken from him for about$ 1.484 million in items.
Another image shared by The New York Post shows some of the offenders posing with Joe Burrow, the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, as stolen items. Tuesday’s media release confirmed that the suspects burglarized the house of a Cincinnati Bengals person in December, stealing approximately$ 300, 000 in products.
