Three of the suspects took selfies next to a safe and stolen items. Another donned expensive jewelry. One even wore a Kansas City Chiefs jersey.

Three months later they have been charged, along with several other Chilean nationals, with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property after they allegedly broke in and stole valuables worth more than $2 million from the homes of professional athletes.

According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., the seven defendants have been targeting athletes in the United States since October, executing well-planned burglaries of their homes while they competed in games. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum of 10 years in prison.

The suspects apparently couldn’t keep from incriminating themselves. Three of those charged — Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20, and Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27 — are in a photo posing next to a safe containing about $1.5 million in watches, chains, jewelry, designer bags and cash stolen from the Wisconsin home of Milwaukee Bucks player Bobby Portis.

According to the 20-page FBI complaint, key evidence was obtained because the men allegedly posted incriminating photos on an iCloud site. Authorities said the Chileans methods included “renting vehicles, obtaining hotels or short-stay rentals, acquiring fraudulent identification and contacting [buyers] of the stolen merchandise.”

Some of the suspects were pulled over by police on an Ohio highway in late January. An officer asked them in Spanish where they were headed, and one answered, “Orlando,” the complaint said. When the officer responded, “wrong direction,” another passenger said, “New York,” according to authorities. An officer searched the car, finding a crowbar and two tools used to break windows. The men were arrested.

Dodgers, Rams and LAFC players also have been targeted, but it’s unclear if those break-ins are connected to other South American theft groups.

The home of LAFC striker Olivier Giroud was the target of a burglary this month, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Law enforcement sources told The Times that half a million dollars’ worth of items were taken from the West L.A. house, including several watches.

The Los Angeles homes of Dodgers infielders Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman were burglarized in 2023. Muncy’s home was broken into by two people while he and his family were at Dodger Stadium. Freeman’s home also was burglarized while he was away.

Thieves took an estimated $30,000 in jewelry from Luka Doncic’s home in Dallas while he was on the road Dec. 30 before the superstar guard was traded to the Lakers. And the Medina, Minn., home of Mike Conley Jr. was burglarized while the guard was playing in a game with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Although the names of victims were omitted from the federal complaint, the dates and locations of the burglaries line up with several high-profile thefts that have been reported.

The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized Oct. 5 and 7, with the thieves taking jewelry, watches, cash and other luxury merchandise. The second burglary occurred while the team played a game.

Also detailed in the complaint, the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was burglarized while the team played a home game. Jewelry and a firearm were stolen.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had his Anderson Township, Ohio, home broken into Dec. 9 while at a game in Dallas. The complaint notes the date of a burglary at a “Cincinnati player’s home” as Dec. 9. In an earlier court filing, some of the same defendants were charged with stealing $300,000 worth of designer luggage, watches and jewelry from Burrow’s house.

Photos showed one suspect wearing an extravagant necklace with Burrow’s No. 9 jersey number. Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38, rented a car in Florida with a fraudulent Argentinian ID and allegedly used it in the burglary, according to prosecutors.

A federal grand jury in Cincinnati on Feb. 5 charged Cabello, Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22, and Bastian Orellano Morales, 23, with transporting stolen goods interstate and falsifying records in a federal investigation in connection with the Burrow burglary.

“Our investigation remains ongoing as these individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American Theft Groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere,” U.S. Atty. Kenneth L. Parker said after the charges were filed. “We owe it to the victims, whether they are or are not professional athletes, to follow the evidence into these alleged criminal networks and hold the law-breakers accountable.

“I cannot thank our law enforcement partners enough for their commitment to working together to track down these perpetrators. Today is a day that law enforcement scored and spiked the ball.”

The string of thefts prompted the FBI to issue a warning to sports leagues noting that crime groups are targeting athletes’ homes in pursuit of cash and valuables. The FBI bulletin said that members of criminal gangs “conduct physical and technical surveillance in preparation for these burglaries. Organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to block Wi-Fi connections and disable devices, cover security cameras, and obfuscate their identities.”

In a warning to players in November, the NFL said thieves “appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes’ homes on game days.” Players were advised to avoid sharing their location on social media in real time and to ensure that their valuables could not be viewed from outside their home. The warning shared in the recent FBI report echoed this advice and also recommended that athletes keep a close inventory of their valuables and refrain from sharing pictures of the interior of their homes on social media.

In addition to Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Freraut, Cabello, Sanchez and Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez was charged as part of the South American theft group.

Source: LA Times

I'd be interested in someone explaining why the MSM is not reporting such a critical admission after all of this time.  Basically, she's saying that horse dewormer and antibiotics may have saved many more lives had Big Pharma and Little Fauci admitted what everyone with common sense knew.  A few of our famous posters here like to de-ride sites like The Gateway Pundit, but it's almost comical how much information they find out that turns out to be true versus the people winning Pulitzers for writing about Russian Collusion Hoaxes that don't exist.   BTW, this is pretty much case closed on the vaccines and the whole Covid lie.  Unless people feel like Birx isn't a credible source for this.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02...-shocking/

Vikings, U.S. Bank Stadium ranked NFL’s best in “Voice of the Fan” survey

Only two teams finished with a better home record in 2024 than the Vikings had at U.S. Bank Stadium. Nobody was more successful at sending fans home with a positive experience.

The Vikings and U.S. Bank Stadium finished first in the NFL’s 2024 “Voice of the Fan” survey, which asks fans who attended a game to rate their satisfaction with everything from pregame entertainment to concessions and gameday staff. The team set a record in the “Overall Gameday Satisfaction” category while finishing first in game entertainment and earning top-five finishes in five of the survey’s nine main categories.

“These incredible rankings reflect the dedication, energy and commitment of our entire staff as well as the collaboration with the [Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority], ASM, Aramark and all of our stadium partners,” Andrew Miller, Vikings chief operating officer, said in a statement. “We always seek to provide a world-class experience for Vikings fans, who we believe are the most passionate fans in the NFL, and we’re honored they rated their experience positively with such record-breaking marks.”

The team’s 107-person gameday production, which is lauded annually with sports entertainment awards, ranked as the league’s best and most family-friendly, while the “Skol” chant helped the Vikings finish first in the team/fan rituals category. The 15-minute “Showtime” pregame production, which ends with fake snow falling from the ceiling as players emerge from a 30-foot tunnel shaped like a Viking ship with a dragon at its bow, finished second in pregame on-field entertainment. Fans praised everything from the in-game music selections to crowd energy.

“When you hear people talk about the atmosphere at U.S. Bank Stadium, all that stuff, very few people have actually experienced that [in nine years],” Vikings Vice President of Content and Production Bryan Harper said in a December interview. “You’ll hear people say, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get there. It’s a bucket list-type item.‘ So it’ll be cool to continue to see it grow.”

The Vikings also saw major jumps in their scores from 2023, with gameday staff moving up five spots to second in 2024 and the team’s food and beverage scores jumping from 14th to fifth. J.P. Paul, Vikings vice president of stadium operations, attributed the improvement to the team and Aramark, its concession provider, establishing new partnerships with local businesses such as Von Hanson’s Meats and Parlour Bar to enhance the stadium’s food offerings.

It takes about 3,000 people to put on a Vikings game, Paul said, from food service workers to ticket agents, ushers and security staff. Before this season, the Vikings rolled out a new training plan for gameday staff, giving them chances to practice scenarios they might encounter on a Sunday.

“It’s [things like], if you’re the usher and you see somebody spill popcorn, making sure the concessionaire knows that when you walk up there and ask for a free popcorn, you’re going to get that free popcorn, no questions asked,” Paul said. “Get it back to that guest as quickly as possible. And then, if they want to walk the guest back to their seat, help them carry that popcorn, or whatever it might be. So it’s just little things like that.”

Startribune

@JimmyinSD

Please pin. Much appreciated.

Arrested for ranting and civil disobedience.

It’s behind a paywall but I’m willing to share specific prospects.

Zelle, PayPal, or show me your tits.

The #Vikings sit at $63.3M in cap space after the recent cap earnings came out, which puts them at the 7th highest in the NFL.

The NFL today informed teams that the 2025 per-team salary cap will fall in the range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million, way up from last year's $255.4 million. Cap will have increased by more than $53 million over the last two years.