Two Chilean men accused in a series of home burglaries targeting top US athletes — including NFL stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes — between 2024 and 2025 were part of a crew arrested for robbing the home of former Argentine tennis champion Juan Martín Del Potro this month.
Ignacio Zuñiga Cartes and Bastián Jiménez Freraut, both 23, were arrested earlier this month for stealing jewelry, medals and rackets from the 2009 US Open champ’s home in Tandil.
Investigators uncovered the identities of the accused burglars through a traffic ticket that was issued in Buenos Aires a day before the May 15 robbery, according to Argentine newspaper Clarín.
The officials discovered that Cartes and Freraut were part of a South American crime ring that stole from the homes of high-profile US athletes including NFL stars Mahomes and Joe Burrow, NBA player Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs athlete Kelce, fiancé of pop megastar Taylor Swift.
The thieves, who traveled to the US for the crimes, timed their burglaries to coincide with the athletes’ away games, and stole watches, cash, jewelry and other luxury items after breaking into their homes totaling over $3.5 million, according to the Justice Department.
Del Potro’s mother initially flagged authorities after arriving at the Tandil home on May 15 while her son was away, according to police records.
Investigators then caught video of the five-men crew — consisting of two more Chilean nationals and an Argentinian — traveling in a Chevrolet Astra near the crime scene.
Cartes was identified as the driver, and a speeding ticket from the day before helped track the crew down.
Prosecutors noted that DNA taken from Freraut, who had a cut at the time he was detained, matched the DNA taken from the robbed US athletes’ homes.
The string of thefts made headlines in 2024 when Kelce and Mahomes’ homes were both ransacked on consecutive days.
The robberies occurred just as the athletes were scheduled to play the New Orleans Saints.
Investigators claimed the men would travel to the players’ hometowns, rent a hotel and car, and wait for the sports stars to leave for major games before breaking and entering, Clarín reported.
Along with Cartes and Freraut, police arrested Chileans Rodolfo Cartes Escobar, 35 and Alfredo Espinosa Gallardo, 23, and Argentinian Walter D’Amelo, 39.
The suspects are currently being held in Tandil as investigators continue to interrogate the men and look to work with international authorities over the charges from the 2024-2025 robberies.
