Alleged burglars targeted pro athletes and evaded authorities for months — until they took a selfie

By Chelsea Bailey and Josh Campbell, CNN

(CNN) — After months of working to bring down the criminals responsible for a string of high-profile burglaries of celebrity athletes’ homes, an FBI special agent working with local police discovered a key piece of evidence that would blow the ring apart: A selfie.

According to an unsealed federal criminal complaint filed against seven Chilean men allegedly involved in the crime spree, investigators used cell phone records, GPS and iCloud data to link the suspects to the theft of almost $3 million in luxury goods from professional athletes later identified as NBA forward Bobby Portis and NFL quarterback Joe Burrow.

But a selfie – believed to have been taken shortly after several of the men allegedly stole a safe from the home of a Milwaukee Bucks basketball player – proved to be the evidence authorities needed to connect the dots.

The burglaries made national headlines last fall after back-to-back break-ins at the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. The thieves appeared to time the break-ins for when players were away at games, prompting major sporting bodies, like the NFL, NBA and NHL, to warn athletes they could be targeted next.

In addition to league warnings, an alarmed FBI also announced a nationwide crackdown aimed at identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

Despite national attention, the criminal complaint alleges the suspects continued to stage several more break-ins until investigators uncovered evidence that led to all seven men being charged with federal crimes and accused of operating a criminal ring to sell stolen goods across state lines.

If convicted of felony transportation of stolen goods they could each face up to 10 years in prison. CNN is working to determine if the men have obtained legal representation.

Here’s how investigators say they were able to track down the suspects in the international ring.

‘Clear and consistent modus operandi’

The suspects are allegedly linked to a Chilean South American theft group, an international gang known for traveling across the United States to burglarize the homes of at least six professional athletes, according to the criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.

On October 21, days after the Mahomes and Kelce burglaries, a separate break-in occurred at the home of an unnamed Tampa Bay Buccaneers football player while the team took on the Baltimore Ravens during a home game.

The suspects allegedly stole “jewelry, Rolex watches, a Louis Vuitton suitcase, and a firearm” valued at $167,000, according to the criminal complaint. An FBI special agent from the Tampa field office was assigned to investigate.

That agent later noted they have previously worked on several investigations into the Chilean theft group and the burglaries share a “clear and consistent modus operandi,” they said in an affidavit.

The burglars wait until the athletes are known to be away from home for games before breaking in, often using a crowbar to pry open a window or sliding glass door, according to the complaint.

The criminals then allegedly enter the homes and steal “jewelry, expensive watches, United States currency, and expensive merchandise.” In one theft, the complaint notes, they allegedly stole a safe and designer bags valued at over $1.4 million from a Milwaukee Bucks player.

The player was later identified as Bucks forward Portis.

The agent noted the suspects would often use “throw phones” – commonly known as burners – “for about one month before switching cellular devices or SIM cards to continue to thwart law enforcement.”

The suspects then allegedly coordinated with buyers and arranged the purchase of the stolen goods in cash to make it harder for law enforcement to trace the transactions, the complaint states.

But the suspects also developed another habit that would prove to be detrimental in the case – taking selfies with stolen goods to boast about their latest thefts.

Selfie leads to case breakthrough

Investigators uncovered photos allegedly linking the men to the burglaries after performing a forensic analysis of an iCloud account and a phone linked to some of the crime scenes.

“I observed photographs of four Hispanic males with several watches, necklaces, a ring, a damaged safe, and burglary tools,” the FBI agent wrote in the affidavit.

The complaint alleges Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes and Bastian Jimenez Frerault are pictured in the selfie taken on November 2 “minutes after the burglary” of a home subsequently linked to Portis.

A fourth man is also seen in the photo, but his face is redacted, the complaint states, because he has not yet been identified.

Surveillance footage during the break-in shows two men entering a bedroom and stealing a safe and other valuables, according to the complaint.

That same safe, the complaint alleges, is pictured in a hotel room selfie as the men pose with watches and a necklace “consistent with the inventory” of items stolen from Portis’ home. In a separate photo, the crowbar and a mallet allegedly used to pry open the safe are also visible.

The complaint identifies Pablo Zuniga Cartes as the man wearing a Kansas City Chiefs shirt in the photo. The complaint alleges the T-shirt shows the men were boasting of their previous involvement in “earlier burglaries in Kansas City” of the Mahomes and Kelce properties.

A similar selfie was uncovered during a search of a cell phone connected to the burglary of Cincinnati Bengals player Burrow, CNN previously reported.

The FBI investigator shared the photo of the men posing with the safe and their evidence with law enforcement in Cincinnati, who tracked the suspects using location data from one of their cell phones, according to the complaint.

That investigation led to the arrest of Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22; Bastian Orellano Morales, 23; and Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38, during an Ohio traffic stop last month.

On February 5, a federal grand jury in Cincinnati indicted all three men, who are from Chile, on felony charges in connection with the burglary of a Cincinnati Bengals football player’s home.

“Our investigation remains ongoing as these individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American Theft Groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere,” US Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said following the indictment.

Then, on Tuesday, the DOJ unsealed a separate criminal complaint that had also been filed against Sanchez, Morales and Cabello in Florida.

This complaint also names Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24; Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20; Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27; and Alexander Huiaguil Chavez; 24, as alleged members of the Chilean criminal ring.

They were each also charged with felony conspiracy to transport stolen goods across state lines.

It is unclear if their arrest will bring about an end to the burglaries targeting athletes. Following the news of the break-in at his home in December, Bengals quarterback Burrow lamented the lack of privacy that may have contributed to the burglary.

“We live a public life and one of my least favorite parts of that is the lack of privacy, and that has been difficult to deal with my entire career,” Burrow said. “I’m still learning, but I understand it’s the life that we choose. It doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.”

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