Many of the world’s biggest sports stars, including Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, have fallen victims to thieves over recent months.
The worrying trend has seen criminals target the mansions and possessions of players from across the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS and college sports – sometimes during games.
At the end of last year, the FBI sent a warning out to American professional sports leagues about crime organizations targeting professional athletes.
Cops have launched a multi-state investigation into the spate of robberies, many of which – according to the authorities – are the work of a sophisticated crime ring.
More than a dozen high-profile athletes are among those known to have been robbed. Here, Mail Sport details what we know…
Patrick Mahomes (October 5)
The Chiefs quarterback saw his Missouri mansion robbed just days before Kansas City played a home game on October 7.
Mahomes had jerseys, medals, trophies, awards and more stolen – hours before thieves targeted Kelce’s property. The crooks are also believed to have swiped jewelry and designer bags belonging to his wife Brittany.
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City-area properties were burglarized in October
Burglars reportedly targeted Mahomes’ house around midnight on October 6
Seven Chilean nationals were charged following the burglaries of several professional athletes
‘Obviously, it’s frustrating. It’s disappointing,’ Mahomes said. ‘Obviously something that you don’t want to have happen to really anybody. But obviously yourself.’
Last month, federal prosecutors charged seven members of a South American crime gang that were allegedly responsible for the break-in.
The illegal immigrants – purported to be from a Chilean theft group – are accused of stealing valuables worth more than $2million in a series of high-profile burglaries.
Travis Kelce (October 7)
Thieves raided Kelce’s $6million, 17,000 sq. ft. Leawood estate during the Chiefs’ game against the Saints, while Taylor Swift was watching at Arrowhead Stadium.
Reports claimed that the tight end lost $100,000 in jewelry and his first ever Super Bowl jersey.
Police later said Kelce lost $21,000 including $20,000 in cash, while cops in Rhode Island revealed they found a watch taken from Kelce’s home.
Swift, it’s claimed, keeps designer bags and high-end clothing at her boyfriend’s home but did not have anything stolen in the burglary.
The estate features a swimming pool and jacuzzi, a six-car garage, lighted tennis and pickleball court and a miniature golf course.
Joe Burrow (December 9)
The Bengals quarterback saw his Ohio home raided while he was helping Cincinnati beat the Cowboys in Texas.
According to the criminal complaint, thieves ran off with around $300,000 worth of luggage, glasses, watches, and jewelry.
An aerial view of Kelce’s home that he bought last year in the suburb of Leawood, Kansas
Burrow’s $7.5million Cincinnati mansion was broken into and ransacked back in December
‘I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share,’ Burrow said after.
The incident was cloaked in mystery after it emerged that the 911 call was made by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Ponton, rather than his longtime partner Olivia Holzmacher.
Ponton – who boasts eight million followers on TikTok – is said to have told officers that she noticed ‘a shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked’ when she arrived at the property.
After discovering that someone had broken in, the TikTok star reportedly phoned her mother, Diane, who then called police.
Ponton could later be heard saying in a separate call: ‘Someone broke into my house… It’s like completely messed up.’
Last month, a number of men were charged over the break-in that took place at Burrow’s $7.5million property in Cincinnati.
The group, who cops believe are illegal immigrants from Chile, were arrested during a traffic stop and in a shocking photo, the men can be seen posing in the jewelry they allegedly stole from Burrow – including the NFL star’s personalized diamond-encrusted chains.
Four men suspected of raiding Joe Burrow’s home allegedly posed in his jewelry afterwards
Another shocking photo shows the NFL star’s jewelry laid out next to a huge wad of cash
New York Jets player (February 16)
An unidentified Jets star was reportedly robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight last month, in what cops called a ‘targeted’ attack by a gang of thieves.
A group of men are believed to have followed the NFL star, and one other person, for more than 30 miles from Manhattan to Windmill Pond in New Jersey.
The attackers were seen leaving a dark SUV before stealing money and personal possessions in the alleged armed robbery. They then fled the scene.
Windmill Pond is only a short drive from the Jets’ training facility.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers player (October 21)
The Tampa Bay player, who has not been identified, saw his house burglarized during a home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
According to the criminal complaint, thieves stole possessions worth around $167,000 – including ‘multiple pieces of expensive jewelry, Rolex watches, a Louis Vuitton suitcase, and a firearm’.
Carson Beck (February 20)
Beck and his basketball star ex-girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder, told cops that both his $300,000 Lamborghini Urus and Mercedes-Benz E635 had been stolen, while her Range Rover was moved down the street.
‘Well s***, we woke up this morning and we were about to leave and then… we had three cars parked,’ Beck said in police footage obtained by DailyMail.com. ‘Garage door was wide open. Both the gates wide open.’ The couple said they were sleeping inside at the time of the robbery.
Late last month, 20-year-old Tykwon Deandre Anderson was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling while wearing a mask, as well as grand theft and grand theft of a vehicle.
Carson Beck and Hanna Cavinder are seen talking with an officer after the robbery
The quarterback and his ex-girlfriend, Miami basketball player Cavinder, were targeted
Per a police report, Anderson and three other men arrived at the house in a Mercedes-Benz before two thieves jumped over the concrete fence to gain access to the driveway.
Officers say one thief burglarized the Range Rover, where they found the garage door opener. He used it to gain access to the house and steal the key fobs to the vehicles in the living room.
The Range Rover and Mercedes were both later found.
Detectives discovered that Anderson had rented the Mercedes that the thieves arrived in. He was found in the rental car, pulled over, and arrested. Anderson admitted to being the driver of the Lamborghini, and ‘explained in detail how the burglary occurred.’
Linval Joseph (November 18)
The former Cowboys star left the Vikings in 2020 but kept his home in Minnesota even after joining Dallas.
The house was broken into on the same day the Cowboys faced the Texans in Dallas.
Olivier Giroud (February 5)
The French soccer star, who joined Los Angeles FC last May, had his LA house broken into during a game against the Chicago fire.
The former Arsenal striker was the first-known soccer player to be targeted by thieves in this epidemic. It’s said he lost 10 watches and around $500,000 worth of jewelry.
According to police, Giroud’s wife, Jennifer, reported the break-in on February 5 when she discovered a broken window at the property – which the family purchased in late September.
Soccer star Olivier Giroud had his LA house broken into during a game against the Chicago fire
NBA star Luka Doncic reportedly saw his Dallas home burglarized before his move to LA
Luka Doncic (December 27)
Not long before his blockbuster trade to Los Angeles, the NBA star reportedly saw his Dallas home burglarized.
The incident allegedly occurred while the Mavericks were playing the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. He did not play in the game due to injury but around $30,000-worth of jewelry was stolen, according to police.
Around the same time in Dallas, Dak Prescott’s fiancee had $40,000-worth of possessions taken from her car while at a workout class.
At the time, Doncic’s business manager Lara Beth Seager told NBA insider Marc Stein: ‘No one was home at the time and thankfully Luka and his family are safe.
‘Luka has filed a police report and an investigation is ongoing.’
Bobby Portis Jr. (November 2)
The NBA star saw his Wisconsin home burglarized while the Bucks were playing against the Cavaliers in Milwaukee.
According to the criminal complaint, the thieves ran off with a Louis Vuitton suitcase and designer bags, as well as a safe that held watches, chains, jewelry, cash and ‘personal’ possessions.
The total value of items stolen was said to nearly $1.5million. Portis Jr. released security footage of the incident and offered $40,000 for information relating to the loss of ‘most of my prized possessions’.
Ja Morant (December 19)
The Memphis Grizzlies point guard, who sparked controversy two years ago over gun-related incidents, reportedly had more than $1million-worth of jewelry, watches and luxury bags stolen from his $3m Memphis mansion.
The 25-year-old was named by the Daily Memphian as ‘Professional Athlete 6’ in the federal complaint unsealed back in December.
NBA superstar Ja Morant was unveiled as yet another victim of the nationwide burglary sting
Morant’s $3million Memphis mansion was reportedly broken into on the night of December 19
The complaint, which didn’t name Morant, states that a member of the Grizzlies was burgled between 4pm on December 19 and 1am on December 20.
At the time of the incident, Morant and the Grizzlies were playing the Golden State Warriors at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.
Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut, Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Orellano Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, Sergio Ortego Cabello were named as the seven suspected members of a Chilean crime ring accused of breaking into the homes of professional athletes.
Morales, 23, Sanchez, 22, and Cabello, 38, had previously been charged in relation to the robbery of Burrow’s mansion.
Troy Hudson (September 13)
The former Timberwolves star saw his Minnesota home burglarized, with a handgun, a $3,500 handbag and jewelry among the items reportedly stolen.
It came a year after team owner Jim Pohlad was among the victims of a spate of burglaries around Minneapolis in October 2023.
Karl-Anthony Towns (September 16)
The NBA star had watches and jewelry stolen in a break-in, which came only two weeks before he was traded to the New York Knicks.
NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns had watches and jewelry stolen in a break-in last September
Mike Conley Jr. (September 15)
Just two days after Hudson’s home was broken into, Minnesota Timberwolves star Conley Jr. was the victim of a home invasion.
It reportedly occurred while he was the guest of honor at a Vikings game.
Tyler Seguin (November 29)
The Dallas Stars star reportedly saw $500,000-worth of watches taken in the first incident involving an NHL player.
He saw his Texas home burglarized while the Stars hosted the Colorado Avalanche.
Evgeni Malkin (January 11)
The Pittsburgh Penguins star was the victim of a break-in while sitting out a home game against the Senators.
According to reports at the time, the back door of Malkin’s home was kicked in and both the alarm system and security cameras happened to be down at the time. Additionally, his safe had been kept open.
Police initially thought that his three Stanley Cup rings were stolen but, less than a week later, cops revealed that the rings had been found inside the Pennsylvania home.
