4 Charged in String of Burglaries at Luxury Homes in Ohio

Four Chilean men were arrested this month in connection with a string of burglaries at multimillion-dollar homes in Ohio after a traffic stop in which the authorities found what appeared to be items taken from the residence of the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

The four men were indicted on Tuesday on state charges including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and participating in a criminal gang. They were arrested as part of a larger federal investigation into burglaries by South American crime groups at multimillion-dollar homes across the country, according to an affidavit prepared by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Several occurred at the homes of well-known professional athletes.

So far, according to the affidavit, investigators across the country “have arrested at least six different South American burglary groups, five of which were Chilean nationals.”

In the Ohio case, the four men — Jordan Francisco Sanchez, 22; Alexander Esteban Huaiquil-Chavez, 24; Bastian Alejandro Morales, 23; and Sergio Andres Cabello, 38 — were stopped on Jan. 10 in Harmony Township after a traffic violation, according to the affidavit. The authorities had followed the men as they rode in a sport utility vehicle from a hotel in Fairborn, Ohio, the affidavit said without elaborating.

All four were either in the United States illegally or had “overstayed their permissions,” according to the affidavit.

The driver of the S.U.V., Mr. Sanchez, did not have a valid driver’s license when he was pulled over by Ohio State Highway Patrol, the affidavit said. The police smelled marijuana in the vehicle and took all of the occupants’ identification, three of which, the authorities said, were fake.

Although the Ohio Attorney General’s Office would not confirm whether the men were involved in the burglary at Mr. Burrow’s home, the officers who searched the vehicle found a Louisiana State University shirt and a Bengals hat, both of which are teams that Mr. Burrow has played for. They also found burglary tools in the glove box known to be used by the “South American Theft Group,” previously described by the F.B.I. as an international criminal gang.

Investigators then used the men’s phone data and surveillance footage to identify them as potential suspects involved in the burglary of a Cincinnati area home on Dec. 9 — the same day that Mr. Burrow’s home was broken into while he was in Dallas playing against the Cowboys.

It was not immediately clear whether all four men had legal representation. A public defender representing Mr. Morales did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday evening.

The F.B.I. has issued warnings to professional sports leagues in recent months after items worth hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen from the homes of several athletes.

At least nine professional athletes’ homes were burglarized by “international organized theft groups, often emanating from South America,” from September to November 2024, according to a Liaison Information Report sent to sports leagues from the F.B.I. and obtained by The New York Times. Some of those targeted include the Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, as well as the N.B.A. players Bobby Portis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley Jr.

The groups usually break into the homes of athletes when they are playing away games, and they target high-end goods, including designer handbags and jewelry.

Alain Delaquérière contributed research. Michael Levenson contributed reporting.