CINCINNATI — The men charged for a break-in and burglary at Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's house also committed other thefts at the homes of other NFL and NBA players throughout the country, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney in Florida.
Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello were all charged locally and federally for the alleged burglary at Burrow's home on the night of December 9. A fourth person, Alexander Huaiquil-Chavez, also faces charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, participating in a criminal gang and possessing criminal tools.
All four of those men, along with three others not connected to the burglary at Burrow's house, are also facing federal charges tied to several other burglaries.
According to a press release from Sweeney's office, the men targeted high profile athletes in the NFL and NBA, all of whom were away or playing in professional games while their homes were burglarized.
In all, Sweeney's office says the men have stolen over $2 million in valuables. A federal criminal complaint filed in the case said they took nearly $300,000 worth of designer luggage, glasses, wrist watches and jewelry from Burrow's home.
Learn more about the break-in below:
The release from Sweeney says the group of Chilean nationals were part of a South American Theft Group that traveled throughout the country.
Federal officials said the group burglarized the homes of two Kansas City Chiefs players on October 5 and Oct. 7, where they stole jewelry, watches, cash and other luxury merchandise. That burglary happened while the Chiefs were in Kansas City, Missouri.
Then, on October 21, the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was burglarized in Tampa, where jewelry, designer watches, a luxury suitcase and a gun were stolen, federal officials said.
After that, on November 2, the group allegedly broke into the Wisconsin home of a Milwaukee Bucks player and stole a safe that held several watches, chains, personal items, jewelry and cash. They also took a designer suitcase and designer bags. That burglary was the group's biggest haul, totaling around $1.48 million.
Burrow's home was hit on December 9.
After that, on December 19 and 20, the home of a Memphis Grizzlies player was burglarized. There the men allegedly stole jewelry, watches and luxury bags valued at around $1 million.
Federal officials did not provide the names of the players whose homes were burglarized.
On January 10, an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a car with Florida tags that committed a lane violation on I-70 after investigators had been conducting surveillance on the occupants. Inside the car, per the affidavit and body camera footage, was an old LSU t-shirt and Bengals hat believed to have been stolen from Burrow's home.
Watch video from their arrests here:
All four of the men inside — later identified as 22-year-old Jordan Sanchez, 23-year-old Bastian Morales, 38-year-old Sergio Cabello and 24-year-old Alexander Huaiquil-Chavez — were indicted for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, participating in a criminal gang and possessing criminal tools.
During a search of Nezhinskiy and Villar's business, law enforcement found dozens of watches and jewelry believed to have been stolen. Inside Nezhinskiy's storage units, officials also found high-end bags, sports memorabilia and power tools used to burglarize or open safes.
During a search of cell phones found on Morales, Cabello and Sanchez at the time of their arrest, investigators found photos of jewelry "confirmed to be stolen from J.B.'s residence in December of 2024," reads the court document.
Forensic investigators also found several other photos, deleted during the OSHP traffic stop, that depicted "the rear of J.B.'s residence," court documents say.
Federal court documents say the burglary at Burrow's home "is consistent with burglaries executed by South American Theft Groups (SATG)." The modus operandi in those cases, federal investigators wrote, involves targeting high-end houses that back up to green spaces, walking trails, golf courses or other undeveloped land that can be used to conceal the suspects' approach to a home.
In those burglaries, court documents say suspects predominantly steal jewelry and designer accessories, while leaving behind other valuable items.
"Many of these cases share similar fact patterns to the burglary described above," reads the court document.
