Three arrested over burglaries against high-profile athletes

Reuters

Police in Chile say they have arrested three people suspected of carrying out a series of burglaries on the homes of high-profile athletes in the US and Argentina.

Taylor Swift’s fiancé Travis Kelce was among star names whose homes were struck during 2024 and 2025.

During the spree thieves took expensive watches, valuable jewellery and souvenirs including sports jerseys.

Last week, police arrested two people who had broken into the Argentinian home of the 2009 US Open winner Juan Martín del Potro.

It led them to a third suspect, who was arrested on Saturday.

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Commissioner Enrique Gutierrez of Chilean Interpol said in a video reported by the AFP news agency that the trio would now be extradited. The gender of the three suspects have not been disclosed by police.

Gutierrez added: “These individuals will face justice in the United States or Argentina.

“They had no significant criminal record in Chile, having specialised in robberies outside our borders.”

The burglaries had taken place during a two-year spree and the investigation had seen earlier arrests carried out by police.

Officers have not confirmed the names of any of the athletes targeted by the gang.

Police said the alleged thieves would case out the properties before breaking into the homes.

They would also monitor social media profiles to see when the owners were away, as well as assess the buildings’ security measures.

Kelce’s home was burgled on 7 October 2024 when he was away playing a game with the Kansas City Chiefs. A total of $20,000 (£15,900) in cash was taken in the raid.

Dallas Cowboys player Linval Joseph and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis were also targeted in different burglaries.

It prompted the US’s National Football League to send out a memo warning athletes to be vigilant.

At the time it said criminals had used public records to find players’ addresses where they then spied on.

The memo added: “By tracking team schedules and the social media accounts of players and their families, they wait until homes are empty – often during games.”

In February last year seven men were charged in connection with the crime spree.

Chilean Interpol and the FBI have all been contacted by the BBC for comment.

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