Chile arrests three in FBI probe of athlete home burglaries
A Chilean theft ring that hit athletes’ homes in the U.S. and Argentina faces extradition as investigators tie it to more than $2 million in stolen luxury goods.
Chilean police arrested three men wanted by the FBI in what investigators say was a coordinated theft ring that targeted professional athletes’ homes across borders, choosing victims while they were away at games and stripping out jewelry, watches and other luxury goods.
Police said the three Chileans were arrested May 24, 2026. Two were first detained in Argentina after a break-in at the Tandil home of former Argentine tennis star Juan Martín del Potro, and a third was later arrested in Lampa, northwest of Santiago. U.S. authorities had already sought arrest warrants with a view to extradition.
The pattern matters as much as the arrests. According to Chilean police and U.S. authorities, the suspects checked home security and reviewed victims’ social media profiles before striking. Investigators said that approach allowed the group to track when athletes were traveling and to pick homes stocked with high-value items. Police said the men had no significant criminal record in Chile and had specialized in robberies outside the country.
The broader FBI probe began after a rash of burglaries from September through November 2024. By December 2024, the bureau had warned sports leagues after at least nine professional athletes were targeted. In February 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice charged seven Chilean nationals in Florida in connection with nationwide burglaries involving several professional athletes, saying the thefts topped $2 million. The Justice Department said homes in Kansas City, Tampa, Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Tennessee were hit, with stolen property including jewelry, high-end watches, cash, luxury bags, a firearm, designer luggage and other luxury merchandise.
The latest arrests suggest the cases were not isolated celebrity break-ins but part of a larger South American network built around mobility, surveillance and timing. The suspects allegedly stole not just cash and valuables but also sports jerseys and souvenirs, underscoring how the crews treated athletes’ homes as target-rich repositories of both luxury items and personal memorabilia.
Names tied to the wider U.S. investigation have included Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow, Luka Dončić, Bobby Portis, Tyler Seguin and Mike Conley Jr., reflecting the breadth of the burglaries across the NFL, NBA and NHL. For investigators, the linkage between the Tandil break-in, the U.S. burglaries and the Chile arrests points to a transnational theft model that relied on athletic schedules, public visibility and weak residential security around high-profile names.
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