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After a string of other robberies, the initial theft of Kansas City Chiefs teammates Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ homes wasn’t an isolated incident.
Another NBA player, Luka Doncic, is the latest victim. The Dallas Mavericks are currently on a four-game road trip, which began with a game against the Phoenix Suns on Friday. That is when his Texas home was broken into.
According to The Dallas Morning News, about $30,000 in jewelry was stolen while no one was home. Dallas police received a tip that someone broke into the house through a bathroom window to find the goods sometime between 5 pm and 9 pm when the game against the Suns tipped off.
That’s been a growing issue with some sports stars being robbed because their schedules are public and made available months in advance, giving anyone ample time to plan a robbery. So now, the FBI is warning major sports leagues about a South American theft group it believes is behind the crimes.
“While many burglaries occur while homes are unoccupied, some burglaries occur while residents are home,” the FBI report said. “In these instances, individuals are encouraged to seek law enforcement help and avoid engaging with criminals, as they may be armed or use violence if confronted.”
The FBI advises that these aren’t amateurs. They use high-tech devices like Wi-Fi jammers to ruin web connections, bypass alarm systems and tactically cover their faces and security cameras. Some have even posed as deliverymen or groundskeepers to case the homes.
Athletes are told to report anything suspicious they see around their properties and diligently keep records of their prized possessions.
Before Doncic, the most recent robbery was Cincinnati Bengal quarterback Joe Burrow, who played against the Dallas Cowboys during Monday Night Football earlier this month. According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, model and Burrow’s employee Olivia Ponton arrived at his Ohio home to find a “shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked.”
See how social media is reacting to the string of athletes’ homes being robbed.