A group of men arrested after a December break-in at Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home took a selfie with the stolen items, according to an FBI agent overseeing the case.
The three men, all from Chile, are accused of breaking into the rear entrance of the Hamilton County home while Burrow's security team was in the middle of changing shifts, charging documents filed by the FBI state. While the security team was in front of the house, the suspects snuck around through the back, the documents say.
An associate of the homeowner reported the burglary around 8:14 p.m. Dec. 9 after seeing disarray and a broken window, the federal prosecutor’s office said.
The three suspects were identified as Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, 22, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, 23, and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, 38. They were arrested in Ohio on state charges in January.
A federal grand jury indicted them Wednesday on charges of transporting stolen goods across state lines and falsifying records in a federal investigation.
They are believed to be part of a transnational criminal organization, according to the Justice Department. A fourth man was arrested and faces state charges.
A selfie taken by three of the suspects shows them allegedly wearing some of the stolen items.
According to the FBI, the men were in the United States without authorization and either entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas. It's not clear if they have obtained attorneys.
Burrow was at a game in Dallas at the time, leading the Bengals to a 27-20 win over the Cowboys. He said at a Dec. 11 press conference that his "privacy has been violated."
An affidavit says that more than $300,000 in luggage, jewelry, watches and glasses were stolen from Burrow's home. A trail camera caught a person carrying luggage near the home, and nearby license plate readers led the authorities to identifying a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas SUV.
The vehicle was later found abandoned in Florida, according to the FBI. Investigators learned that Cabello had leased the SUV with a fake ID. Using cellphone data, investigators were then led to a motel in Fairborn, Ohio.
The three suspects were pulled over by Ohio State Highway Patrol after the vehicle they were in crossed lanes illegally. Cabello allegedly tried to delete some of the photos, including one showing the rear of Burrow's home, as they were being pulled over. Investigators were able to recover images that show some of the items stolen from the house.
Kenneth Parker, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said the investigation remains ongoing.
"These individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American theft groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere," he said in a statement.
