The first development in the series of robberies of athletes’ homes in 2024, including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant and Bobby Portis, among others, took place on Wednesday when one of the perpetrators pleaded guilty.
The first major development in months in the series of home burglaries of high-profile 2024 athletes, including NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow, came Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Tennessee, when one of the perpetrators pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property, according to court documents.
Alexander Esteban Huaiquil Chávez pleaded guilty to the charge, although Tennessee court documents did not provide further details about the case. Federal authorities filed a complaint in Florida in February 2025 that listed Huaiquil Chávez as a member of a group of thieves comprised of Chilean citizens who broke into the homes of athletes across the United States, stealing cash, jewelry and weapons. They were charged with interstate transportation of stolen property.
The only case in the Florida complaint related to Tennessee was a burglary that occurred in December 2024, in which approximately $1 million in jewelry, watches and luxury handbags were stolen from the home of Memphis Grizzlies player “Professional Athlete 6” while the Grizzlies were playing the Golden State Warriors on December 19. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon later confirmed that the player was guard Ja Morant.
Huaiquil Chávez will be sentenced on June 11. As part of the plea deal, both sides agreed to two years in prison. If the court rejects the plea, either party may withdraw. Federal prosecutors recommended that Chavez receive “the maximum applicable reduction for acceptance of responsibility,” as long as he complies with the stipulations of the plea agreement. These include not committing new crimes or intentionally making false statements or testifying “falsely in any future proceeding.”
Messages left with Huaiquil Chávez’s attorney were not immediately returned by ESPN.
A grand jury indicted Huaiquil Chavez and three other men in Tennessee last May on one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
Sergio Andrés Cabello, Bastian Alejandro Morales and Jordan Francisco Sánchez were also indicted in the Memphis case, but their status in Tennessee is unclear. The four men were arrested in Ohio on January 10, 2025, after being stopped for a traffic stop while driving a 2021 black Chevrolet Trailblazer with Florida plates. During the arrest, according to the complaint, officers found fake identification and “burglar tools.”
Federal authorities used data from cell towers and car rental companies to track the suspected thieves. Authorities also discovered photos on an iCloud account that showed the alleged thieves wearing stolen watches.
Cabello, Morales and Sánchez are also accused of burglarizing Burrow’s home in Ohio on Dec. 9, 2024, while Burrow was in Texas playing against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. Florida’s complaint listed Burrow as “Professional Athlete 5.”
A discovery letter submitted in October 2025 to Huaiquil Chávez’s attorney by the Department of Justice linked him to the Burrow case, stating that “the government has provided evidence of other acts by Mr. Chávez related to the criminal action in Ohio.”
In a February 2025 affidavit in Ohio charging Cabello, Morales and Sanchez, authorities alleged that Huaiquil Chavez “admitted to purchasing a Husky glass breaking tool at Home Depot, but did not explain the reason for his purchase.”
The judge in the Cabello, Morales and Sanchez cases has allowed multiple adjournments, including Tuesday’s, “to continue plea negotiations,” according to federal court documents. The next follow-up conference on these cases is scheduled for May 5.
The Florida complaint alleged burglaries at the homes of Mahomes and Kelce (Professional Athletes 2 and 3), Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (Professional Athlete 4) and an unnamed Tampa Bay Buccaneers football player (Professional Athlete 1).
The thieves used sophisticated methods to rob the houses. The federal complaint explained short-term cell phone use, their knowledge of when athletes might not be home due to posted game times and how they approached from “wooded or dark” areas. The complaint alleged that the group broke a window or used a crowbar to open a sliding door before entering the residence.
Portis Jr. posted a video of his Wisconsin home being broken into by thieves wearing hoods and masks that concealed their faces while wearing hazmat suits. A noise similar to that of a power tool and short phrases in Spanish were the only things heard in the video.
The series of robberies led the FBI to warn professional sports organizations about the break-ins, alleging that at least nine athletes had had their homes burglarized. The NFL, NBA and NHL then sent players warnings about the elevated risks and informed them of best practices.
Thieves also burglarized the homes of other professional athletes in 2024, including Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers (then with the Dallas Mavericks), Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Mike Conley, but their cases were not included in Florida’s complaint.
