Every NFL schedule is released months in advance. For fans, it’s a calendar. For investigators, it eventually became evidence. Federal authorities say “The South American Theft Group” wasn’t picking houses at random. Instead, it allegedly waited until athletes boarded planes, took the field, and left million-dollar homes empty. But apparently, for the crew, burglarizing the homes of athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce wasn’t thrilling enough on its own. 

Federal investigators say they recovered photographs allegedly showing members of the burglary crew posing with stolen luxury watches and jewelry after one of the robberies. Those photographs became their undoing. It helped them identify members, connect suspects, and link stolen property to specific burglaries. Yes, the crew had left the United States until then, but the photographs still served as the basis for the next development in the case that had gone cold.  

U.S. federal prosecutors in Florida have officially requested that Argentina extradite two Chilean nationals, 21-year-old Ignacio Zúñiga Cartés and 28-year-old Bastián Jiménez Freraut, who happened to be a part of the group.
The extradition request is only the latest chapter in a case that has stretched across multiple countries, several professional sports leagues and nearly two years. Here’s how investigators say the alleged burglary ring was uncovered:

• October 5, 2024: Patrick Mahomes’ home in Loch Lloyd, Missouri, was burglarized while the Chiefs were preparing to face the New Orleans Saints.
• October 7, 2024: Just two days later, Travis Kelce’s home in Lenexa, Kansas, was broken into while he was playing against the Saints on Monday Night Football, raising early concerns that the timing wasn’t a coincidence.
• October-December 2024: Authorities say the same burglary crew continued targeting professional athletes, including Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Bucks forward Bobby Portis, an unnamed Tampa Bay Buccaneers player and another Milwaukee Bucks player. According to prosecutors, the group stole nearly $3 million worth of cash, luxury jewelry, watches and designer bags during the alleged crime spree.
• November 2024: As investigators began connecting the break-ins, the FBI warned professional sports leagues that organized burglary crews appeared to be targeting athletes by tracking public schedules and, in some cases, social media activity. The NFL followed with a security alert to every team and the NFL Players Association, advising players to strengthen home security and be more cautious about sharing their whereabouts online.
• January 2025: Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint alleging the burglary crew deliberately timed break-ins around athletes’ away games between October and December 2024. Court documents also allege that one conspirator rented a vehicle in Florida before driving it across state lines as part of the operation.
• February 2025: A federal grand jury charged seven Chilean nationals with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, formally linking multiple athlete burglaries under one federal investigation.
• During the investigation: Authorities say they recovered photographs allegedly showing members of the burglary crew posing with stolen luxury watches and jewelry. Investigators believe those images became one of the key pieces of evidence connecting suspects to several burglaries.
• May 2026: Two of the suspects, Ignacio Zúñiga Cartés and Bastián Jiménez Freraut, were arrested in Argentina after they were allegedly linked to the burglary of former tennis star Juan Martín del Potro’s home. Investigators say the thieves made off with a gold chain, a wedding ring, tennis rackets and luxury watches from the former U.S. Open champion’s residence. That arrest also revived the U.S. investigation into the athlete burglary ring.
• August 2026: Federal prosecutors in Florida formally asked Argentina to extradite Zúñiga Cartés and Jiménez Freraut so they can face charges in the United States. Both men remain in Argentine custody, where they also face local robbery charges.

The extradition request has been made, but it might not happen anytime soon. Both men remain in custody in Argentina and face separate aggravated robbery charges connected to the Del Potro break-in. Under Argentine law, their local case may need to be resolved before extradition. “The extradition process has officially begun,” defense attorney Florencia Barba, who represents both men, told the New York Post. She added that her clients “have the will to collaborate with the justice system,” while stressing that doing so “does not imply an acknowledgement of any wrongdoing.” Barba has said the process could ultimately take up to two years.

Get The Huddle Newsletter. The day's biggest NFL stories — rivalries, matchups, expert analysis, power rankings, and insider draft news.

Although Mahomes’ and Kelce’s homes were burglarized in Missouri and Kansas, federal prosecutors brought the case in the Middle District of Florida because investigators say at least one burglary targeted the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player. Court filings also allege that one conspirator rented a vehicle in Florida before driving it across state lines, helping establish the federal case.

According to federal investigators, the alleged crew didn’t rely on opportunity alone. Court filings say members used Wi-Fi jammers to disrupt security systems, bypassed home alarms and timed their break-ins around publicly available game schedules, allowing them to target homes they believed would be empty.

If convicted, the men face a maximum of 10 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. Three of the seven suspects, Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, were previously arrested and charged specifically in connection with the Burrow burglary before the wider indictment tied the group to the Mahomes and Kelce cases as well.

Investigators also allege they recovered messages warning other members of the alleged crew that Zúñiga Cartés and Jiménez Freraut had been arrested in Argentina, another piece of evidence prosecutors say helped connect the wider operation.

And it’s not just NFL players who are being targeted by these burglaries; baseball players, including Luis Castillo, Julio Rodríguez, Blake Snell and Edgar Martínez, have also had their homes targeted in a separate string of crimes. More than $194,000 in luxury bags and jewelry was stolen from Rodríguez’s home, while Castillo lost over $6,000 worth of designer bags. Although the attempts at Snell’s and Martínez’s homes were unsuccessful, the incidents highlighted the growing security threat facing athletes and their families.

How the NFL Responded to the Wave of Athlete Break-Ins

This latest legal development didn’t come out of nowhere. A wave of burglaries had already been building long before it. By the time investigators connected Mahomes’ and Kelce’s cases to a broader pattern, the FBI believed organized crews were exploiting one simple advantage: athletes’ schedules were public, predictable and easy to follow.

The NFL’s warning ultimately reflected that concern. More athletes from different sports came forward in the months that followed, describing strikingly similar break-ins while they were away competing. That pattern is a major reason federal investigators say they treated the alleged operation as an organized, multi-state conspiracy rather than a series of unrelated burglaries.

Now the case is entering another significant phase. Argentina must decide whether to approve the U.S. extradition request, though any transfer would likely have to wait until the suspects’ local criminal proceedings are resolved. If that request is eventually granted, it will mark the next major step in an investigation that has already stretched across two continents and involved some of the biggest names in professional sports.