Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, who are both NFL stars, have been making headlines this week for a completely different reason. In less than 48 hours, burglars targeted the homes of both the tight end and quarterback in Kansas City.
According to People magazine, the Mahomes estate, located in Belton Missouri, was broken into at midnight on October 6. It’s unclear if anything has been stolen. There is no evidence of forced entry. According to TMZ the backdoor of Kelce’s Leawood home in Kans. was damaged, and $20,000 taken. It’s possible that criminals were aware that the Chiefs had a home match at Arrowhead Stadium on the same night.
While initially the FBI was involved in the investigation, it was thought that the burglaries were a local problem. What is the reason? Many law enforcement officials believe that the crime is part of a larger and more sophisticated group. They also suspect a “South American criminal ring”. It’s not only happening in the Kansas City region; it happens in wealthy neighborhoods across the country.
Mike Barbieri, a security expert at Fox 4 News Kansas City, said: “It’s not surprising to me that the people behind this crime spree are very sophisticated and work in a sort of cartel.” “Anyone who has had their house renovated recently, and then had it miraculously burglarized can draw an interesting conclusion.” Some people who were working on the site may have known people in the cartels, and they may be selling information. He said that it is very easy to find out information online about celebrities and wealthy people.
These criminals have not only targeted Mahomes and Kelce. Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks and NBA star said that his home had also been burglarized earlier this month. Police suggest there may be a connection. The incident happened on a night when Portis was not at home, as he was playing a game in the Fiserv Forum. Portis claimed on social media the thieves stole his “prized belongings.” Mike Conley of the Minnesota Timberwolves also suffered a home burglary in September and lost several pieces of jewelry. Linval Joseph, a Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman, was recently the victim of similar crimes.
Today, the National Football League sent an email to all 32 teams informing them that they may be next. KMBC 9 reports that law enforcement agencies from Colorado, California, and other states reported this “South American criminal ring” targeting wealthy communities in their respective states. No arrests have yet been made. Below is a report from KMBC 9.
