Charges Brought in High Profile Athlete Robberies
One day after it was reported that French soccer superstar and LAFC forward Olivier Giroud was a victim of a robbery in which over $500,000 worth of items were stolen from his house, ABC News, Sports Illustrated and other news agencies reported that seven men were charged in federal court in Tampa, Florida in connection with several other high profile thefts involving professional athletes across all major sports. In the complaint the men from Chile were alleged to be part of an international theft ring that targeted high profile athletes. According to authorities the thieves stole $2 million worth of valuables including memorabilia, high end watches, jewelry, cash, and designer suitcases.
Police were able to link their crew to other high profile robberies including Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Bobby Portis, and players on the Bucs and Grizzlies. Additional three of the seven men were charged separately in Cincinnati, Ohio in connection with a robbery at the home of Bengals QB Joe Burrow. Part of the released information showed a picture of three of the identified thieves with a cracked safe believed to belong to Bobby Portis showing off the various items they stole.
What’s unclear from the reports is whether the seven men arrested are the only individuals involved with the thefts or if they are part of an even larger group of thieves that continue to operate in the US who target athletes. Of note, two of the athletes not mentioned in the reports who were also victims of robberies were the previously mentioned Giroud and Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin. At this time it is not certain if the same group are responsible for the thefts at their homes. Malkin in particular had memorabilia like his Stanley Cup Championship rings stolen. Also as of right now it is unclear if any of the memorabilia or other stolen items have been recovered.
