Four Chilean men were arrested this month in connection with a series of burglaries at multimillion-dollar homes in Ohio. It came after authorities during a traffic stop discovered items believed to have been taken from the residence of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
The four were charged Tuesday with state crimes, including engaging in corrupt practices and participating in a criminal organization. They were arrested as part of a large federal investigation into robberies by a South American criminal group of multimillion-dollar homes across the country, according to an affidavit prepared by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Several incidents have also occurred at the homes of famous professional athletes.
To date, law enforcement agencies across the country have arrested “at least six different groups of South American robbers, five of whom were Chilean nationals,” according to the affidavit.
Four people were charged in the Ohio case: Jordan Francisco Sanchez, 22; Alexander Esteban Huaykil-Chavez, 24 years old. Bastian Alejandro Morales, 23 years old. Sergio Andres Cabello, 38, was stopped for a traffic violation in Harmony Township on Jan. 10, according to the affidavit. The affidavit did not provide details, but authorities said they were following the men in a sport utility vehicle from a hotel in Fairborn, Ohio.
All four were in the country illegally or “overstayed their permits,” according to the affidavit.
The driver of the SUV, Sanchez, did not have a valid driver’s license when he was stopped by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, according to the affidavit. Police smelled marijuana in the car and took the identification of all the occupants, which authorities said were three of the occupants’ IDs.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has not confirmed whether the men were involved in the robbery at Vallow’s home, but officers who searched the vehicle found a Louisiana State University shirt and a Bengals hat. Both teams belonged to Mr. Burrow. played for. Also found in the glove box were burglary tools known to have been used by a South American theft group, previously referred to by the FBI as an international criminal organization.
Investigators later used the men’s cell phone data and surveillance footage to identify them as potential suspects in a Dec. 9 home robbery in the Cincinnati area. On the same day, Burrow was at a game against the Cowboys in Dallas when his home was broken into. .
It was not immediately clear whether all four had legal representation. A public defender representing Mr. Morales did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
The FBI has been warning professional sports leagues in recent months after hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items were stolen from the homes of multiple athletes.
A contact information report sent by the FBI to sports leagues and obtained by The New York Times says that between September and November 2024, at least nine professional athletes’ homes were visited by “international police, often originating from South America. He was robbed by a group of organized thieves. Players targeted include Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, as well as NBA players Bobby Portis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mike Conley Jr.
The group typically breaks into the homes of athletes playing away games and targets luxury items such as designer handbags and jewelry.
Alain Delaquérière contributed to the research. Michael Levenson contributed reporting.
