Are athletes being targeted by transnational crime ring?

(NewsNation) — The FBI is investigating whether a recent spate of burglaries at the homes of high-profile professional athletes is connected to a transnational crime ring.

Last month, the homes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were broken into within days of each other, according to law enforcement reports. Mahomes said he couldn’t provide many details because the investigation is ongoing. Kelce’s losses included $20,000 in cash, according to a police report.

In November, the home of Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis was burglarized by at least two people. That incident was captured on Portis’ home surveillance system.

In September, burglars also broke into the home of Minnesota Timberwolves player Mike Conley, stealing jewelry.

NBC News is now reporting that the FBI is working to figure out if a transnational crime ring — possibly one from South America — is responsible.

“Referring to them as gangs kind of brings up this vision of street gangs,” retired FBI agent Bobby Chacon told NewsNation. “These are not gangs in that sense. They are more organized rings or cells of thieves that are very highly trained.”

The gang’s modus operandi, however, may end up giving them away, according to Chacon.

“The more sophisticated some of these groups get, they actually become, not easier to find, but easier to tie together, because they leave a signature, some type of thing that either enables them to defeat a sophisticated security system or get into a house in a certain way," he said.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) wait to lead the team onto the field before a preseason NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Aug. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Thursday also confirmed that the FBI is investigating these burglaries as part of an international organized crime ring.

NFL Security, in a memo provided to teams and the NFL Players Association, said the group is exploiting victims by gathering information through social media, public records and other media reports, Nexstar's WDAF reported.

“A case of this magnitude that can cross state lines and international lines is exactly what the FBI is in the business of doing and they’ll be invaluable to this investigation,” Michael Tabman, a Former FBI Special Agent in Charge, said in the memo.

“This certainly has a level of sophistication to it, obviously.”

Andrew Lynch and Malik Jackson of Nexstar's WDAF contributed to this report.