(Reuters) – The FBI said on Friday that it has launched a nationwide operation to investigate a burglary ring that has targeted the homes of professional athletes in the United States.
According to an FBI statement, the burglaries have been orchestrated by members of South American Theft Groups (SATGs).
“The investigations began after a series of home burglaries in which SATG suspects allegedly monitored professional athletes travel schedules to identify when their properties would be unoccupied,” the FBI said.
“The FBI believes athletes may have been targeted due to their publicly available schedules, making their properties more vulnerable.”
The agency said it has arrested two men accused of running an East Coast operation to resell stolen goods, and that a federal grand jury in Cincinnati indicted three defendants believed to be operating as part of the group.
The three defendants, who were charged with transporting stolen goods interstate and falsifying records in a federal investigation, allegedly committed a burglary at the home of an NFL player last year, the FBI said.
The announcement of the crackdown came two days ahead of the NFL Super Bowl, when the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, are due to play the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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