Argentine Police Detain Two Chileans Suspected in Burglaries of U.S. Athletes’ Homes
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine federal officers arrested two Chilean nationals accused of belonging to a South American gang that burglarized the residences of prominent athletes in the United States and Argentina, authorities said Monday.
Police identified the men as Ignacio Zuniga Cartes and Bastian Jimenez Freraut. They were taken into custody at the Retiro bus station in Buenos Aires during a joint Argentine-Chilean operation, according to a statement released by the Argentine Federal Police. A third suspect, Pablo Zuniga Cartes, was also apprehended, though not in connection with the same incident.
Investigators say the network targeted the homes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and retired Argentine tennis star Juan Martin del Potro, among others. Del Potro’s house was robbed earlier this month, prompting renewed coordination between the two countries’ police forces.
ABC News reported that the three men are now in Chile awaiting U.S. extradition proceedings.
The FBI has stated that South American crime groups relied on public records and social media to monitor athletes’ travel schedules, then used electronic jamming devices to bypass alarms, disable cameras and block internet signals. Jewelry, large amounts of cash, trophies and medals were removed while victims were away.
Following break-ins at the homes of Mahomes and Kelce, the NFL circulated a league-wide security alert in 2024. Federal prosecutors in Florida later charged seven Chilean citizens in February 2025 with conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines, a count carrying a potential 10-year prison sentence. The men arrested in Argentina are among those named in that indictment.
One defendant on the same indictment, Alexander Esteban Huaiquil Chavez, pleaded guilty in Tennessee federal court in March to interstate transportation of stolen property and is scheduled for sentencing on June 11.
Three additional suspects—Sergio Andres Cabello, Bastian Alejandro Morales and Jordan Francisco Sanchez—were charged last year with the December 9, 2024 burglary of Burrow’s Ohio residence. Their case remains pending in the Southern District of Ohio, with the next hearing set for July 8.
Source: ESPN
