By admin 
South American crime gangs that have targeted wealthy neighborhoods in Southern California sophisticated home burglaries recent years may now be targeting the homes of professional athletes across the country.
This is evident from an FBI report obtained by ABC Newsorganized theft groups from South America They are believed to be behind the burglaries of at least nine professional athletes’ homes between September and November. The series of thefts prompted the FBI to alert sports leagues, noting that crime groups are targeting athletes’ homes in search of cash and valuables, including watches, designer handbags and jewelry, the report said.
Some of the biggest names in American sports – including Patrick Mahomes, Luka Dončić and Travis Kelce – have fallen victim to these recent burglaries and break-ins.
According to the report, South American theft groups conduct extensive research before planning the burglaries. This includes monitoring players’ whereabouts and weekly routines via social media, tracking their travel and playing schedules, and conducting physical surveillance at their homes.
Many of the attacks occur while the athletes and their families are away from competitions. Often the robbers are aware of where valuables are stored in the players’ homes before committing the burglaries, the report said.
“These preparatory tactics allow theft groups to commit burglaries in a short period of time,” the report said. “Organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to block Wi-Fi connections and disable devices, cover security cameras and disguise their identities.”
Over the past five years, thieves from South America have entered the U.S. with the aim of committing robberies, selling the stolen goods and returning home to enjoy their riches, police officials say. And while crime statistics show that burglaries in Los Angeles are declining overall, the city has seen an increase in the number of crimes linked to these burglary tourist groups, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told The Times in March.
These groups target wealthy neighborhoods in Los Angeles where homes have jewelry and valuables that can easily be exchanged for cash, he said. Some of the techniques Hamilton describes thieves using — such as using jamming devices to disable home security systems — mirror those the FBI says were used in the recent burglaries of athletes’ homes.
In November, both the NFL and NBA warned that skilled criminals were targeting the homes of professional athletes and noted that a South American crime syndicate was suspected to be behind the burglaries, according to reporting from NFL.com and the Associated press. The NFL and NBA both noted that the FBI was investigating the robberies.
In September, home of Mike Conley Jr.guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves, was burglarized while he was playing an NBA game. Then Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce had their homes burglarized on consecutive days in October while playing away games. And in November, so was Bobby Portis, a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks also targeted.
Earlier this month, home of the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was broken into while competing with his team against the Cowboys in Texas. On Friday, thieves then made off with jewelry worth an estimated $30,000 from the Dallas Mavericks player. Luka Dončić’s house while he was on his way.
The November NFL warning included advising players not to share their location in real time on social media and to upgrade their security systems and ensure their valuables could not be viewed from outside their home, according to NFL.com . The warning in the recent FBI report reflected this advice, also advising athletes to keep a close eye on their valuables and not share photos of the interiors of their homes on social media.