4 Accused of robbery at luxury home in Ohio

Four Chilean men were arrested this month in connection with multiple burglaries at a multimillion-dollar home in Ohio after a traffic stop in which authorities found what appeared to be items taken from the residence. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

The four were arraigned on Tuesday on federal charges including corruption and gang involvement. They were arrested as part of a larger federal investigation into burglaries by South American criminal groups at multimillion-dollar homes across the country, according to a statement from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. . Many have happened in the homes of famous professional athletes.

So far, according to the statement, investigators across the country “have arrested at least six South American gangs, five of whom are Chilean nationals.”

In the Ohio case, the four men – Jordan Francisco Sanchez, 22; Alexander Esteban Huaiquil-Chavez, 24 years old; Bastian Alejandro Morales, 23 years old; and Sergio Andres Cabello, 38 — were stopped Jan. 10 in Harmony Township after a traffic violation, according to the affidavit. Authorities followed the men as they were leaving in a sports bus from a hotel in Fairborn, Ohio, the statement said without explanation.

All four were in the United States illegally or “overstayed their permits,” according to the statement.

The driver of the SUV, Mr. Sanchez, did not have a valid driver’s license when he was pulled over by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the statement said. The police burned drugs in the car and took all the identity cards of the people inside, three of which, according to the official, were fake.

Although the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has not confirmed whether the men were involved in the burglary at Mr. Burrow’s home, officers who searched the vehicle found a Louisiana State University shirt and a Bengal hat. Mr. Burrow. played as. They also found robbery equipment in a glove box known to be used by the “South American Theft Group,” previously described by the FBI as an international criminal gang.

Investigators later used the men’s phone records and surveillance photos to identify them as suspects in a Dec. 9 Cincinnati-area home robbery — that It was the same day that Mr. Burrow’s house was broken into while he was in Dallas playing with the Cowboys. .

It is not clear if the four have legal representation. A public defender representing Mr. Morales did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening.

The FBI has issued a warning to professional sports leagues in recent months after hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items were stolen from the homes of several athletes.

At least nine professional athletes’ homes were burglarized by “an internationally organized group of thieves, mostly from South America,” from September to November 2024, according to a communications report sent to sports league from the FBI and obtained by The New York Times. Some of the targets include Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, as well as NBA players Bobby Portis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley Jr.

These groups typically break into athletes’ homes during away games, and target high-end items, including designer handbags and jewelry.

Alain Delaquerière participated in the research. Michael Levenson contributed to the report.