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Few Days back in United States, NBA and NFL player houses were getting Burglarized which many thought could end up just being a mere coincidence but FBI has finally reached to a conclusion on an ongoing story that it may have been a linkage and the nexus is part of international ring.
An international crime syndicate might be behind a series of burglaries targeting the homes of professional athletes across the United States, although experts suggest that local groups could also be involved. Recently, several NFL and NBA players, including Kansas City Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, have been victims of burglaries while away for games. The FBI is currently investigating whether these incidents are linked to a transnational crime ring, possibly with connections to South America, according to a source familiar with the case, who spoke with CBS News.
A source told NFL.com, "It's a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they've focused on NBA and NFL players, and it's all over the country."
However, Michael Tabman, a former FBI special agent, offered an alternative explanation. He said "It could be possible that you have some capable burglars in Kansas City who maybe have some inside information, And you'll notice, when a crime starts getting covered a lot, it starts popping up elsewhere, so like a copycat."
The incidents
The burglaries have occurred nationwide. On October 7, Kelce’s home was targeted while he was preparing for a game against the New Orleans Saints, with $20,000 in cash stolen from his $6 million residence. Dallas Cowboys player Linval Joseph’s home was also robbed earlier this week, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis was hit earlier this month.
Security experts suggest that athletes are prime targets due to their valuable possessions and public schedules. Former FBI agent Jeff Lanza told BBC, “In any professional football event, for instance, there’s 106 players, 53 on each team, that are not going to be home, not including coaches. And some of those players may have very lucrative contracts and live in nice places.”
The NFL has responded to these incidents by issuing a warning to players, highlighting that “organised and skilled groups” seem to be targeting them. According to the memo, criminals are tracking the athletes' movements via social media and public records, and have been conducting surveillance by posing as joggers, maintenance workers, or delivery people. These criminals are reportedly gaining access to homes through side doors or by scaling walls to reach windows and balconies.
Lanza noted, “You’d have to have people that would maybe do some surveillance to see the comings and goings of the potential targets, that no one else is home, maybe people to understand if there’s an alarm system that’s been employed.” He added that the FBI’s involvement in the investigation, which would typically fall to local authorities, suggests a more coordinated operation connected to a larger network.
Still, other explanations are possible. “It could be some punks that just know the Chiefs are playing that day and that Patrick Mahomes and Kelce are going to be at the stadium, along with their families, because they show them on TV,” Lanza said.
