Professional athletes’ homes are still getting broken into. Here’s how the FBI says the thieves operate
Surveillance video captures suspected South American gangs conducting high-end burglaries.
(CNN) — Federal investigators are now warning professional athletes across multiple sports following a rise in sophisticated home burglaries thought to be emanating from international criminals.
The warning comes as the NFL, NBA and NHL informed teams in November that organized and skilled groups were targeting the homes of athletes for break-ins, including while the players are away at games.
“These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash,” the FBI said in a December 20 bulletin obtained by CNN that was recently distributed to US professional athletic associations.
In the bulletin, first reported by ABC News, bureau analysts said, “Between September and November 2024, organized theft groups allegedly burglarized the homes of at least nine professional athletes and targeted entry points including glass rear doors, windows, and second-story doors.”
The high-profile home burglaries involving sporting stars continued into December, with the homes of NBA star Luca Doncic and NFL star Joe Burrow targeted.
Here’s what we know about how the burglars operate:
They do advanced recon
The latest FBI bulletin indicated many of the tactics mirror those of South American criminal gangs, who “conduct physical and technical surveillance in preparation for these burglaries. The perpetrators also use publicly available information and social media to identify a pattern of life for a prospective victim and often know in advance where valuables are kept in a home.”
Investigators said advanced reconnaissance and preparation have allowed criminals to conduct high-end burglaries at athletes’ homes very quickly, “particularly while they are at games or on travel.”
In its warning the NFL issued to players in November, the league said thieves “appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes’ homes on game days.”
Some burglary groups, the NFL memo says, conduct extensive surveillance, including by making “attempted home deliveries” and “posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in a neighborhood.”
They use sophisticated technology
As part of their advanced preparation and execution of burglaries targeting athletes, criminal gangs have employed sophisticated technology, officials warn.
“Organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to block Wi-Fi connections and disable devices, cover security cameras, and obfuscate their identities,” the FBI warned in its notice to players.
In some cases, the suspects “lie in wait in these ghillie suits so they remain camouflaged,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer previously told CNN during an interview about the work his California prosecutor office is doing to combat transnational gangs staging high-end burglaries.
“They take advantage of the fact that most people don’t have window sensors or motion detectors on their second floors. They have WiFi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified.”
They seem to target the most popular athletes
In October, the homes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were burglarized.
Doncic, a guard on the Dallas Mavericks, had his home burglarized late last month, with criminals making off with $30,000 in jewelry, according to internal police documents reviewed by The Dallas Morning News.
Burrow, quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals, said he felt “violated” after his Ohio house was broken into last month when he was facing the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.
Asked about the rash of burglaries last month, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell noted the FBI’s involvement and the general awareness of the issue around the league.
“I think all of that is something that we all are trying to address,” Goodell said, “but it’s clear there’s some organized fashion here that we hope that the FBI and the authorities can handle.”
This weekend may be of particular concern for the league as the NFL Playoffs begin with two games on Saturday, three on Sunday and one on Monday.
Tips to prevent becoming a victim
In the FBI bulletin, analysts said players should be on the lookout for potential indicators that a burglary is being planned.
Those clues include observing “individuals with technical surveillance tools such as drones, signal jammers, GPS devices, lawn cameras, thermal imaging devices, and other burglary tools such as picklocks, crowbars, screwdrivers, and slide hammers.”
Other warning signs include people “following athletes to their homes, posing as lawncare workers, food delivery persons, or mechanics/repairmen,” the FBI said, as well as “irregular delivery vehicles/companies frequenting the area.”
“When traveling out of town, employ and arm surveillance and alarm systems, employ additional security, and engage with private security and homeowners’ association security,” the bureau bulletin advised.
In addition to bolstering physical security measures, the FBI suggested players watch what they post on social media, “to include refraining from posting pictures of valuables, the interior of one’s home, and real-time posts when on vacation.”
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CNN’s Andy Rose, Jill Martin and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
