Professional athletes’ homes are still getting broken into. Here’s how the FBI says the thieves operate

CNN — Federal investigators are now warning professional athletes across multiple sports following a rise in sophisticated home burglaries thought to be emanating from international criminals.

The warning comes as the NFL, NBA and NHL informed teams in November that organized and skilled groups were targeting the homes of athletes for break-ins, including while the players are away at games.

“These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash,” the FBI said in a December 20 bulletin obtained by CNN that was recently distributed to US professional athletic associations.

In the bulletin, first reported by ABC News, bureau analysts said, “Between September and November 2024, organized theft groups allegedly burglarized the homes of at least nine professional athletes and targeted entry points including glass rear doors, windows, and second-story doors.”

The high-profile home burglaries involving sporting stars continued into December, with the homes of NBA star Luca Doncic and NFL star Joe Burrow targeted.

Here’s what we know about how the burglars operate:

They do advanced recon

The latest FBI bulletin indicated many of the tactics mirror those of South American criminal gangs, who “conduct physical and technical surveillance in preparation for these burglaries. The perpetrators also use publicly available information and social media to identify a pattern of life for a prospective victim and often know in advance where valuables are kept in a home.”

Investigators said advanced reconnaissance and preparation have allowed criminals to conduct high-end burglaries at athletes’ homes very quickly, “particularly while they are at games or on travel.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/11/us/professional-athlete-break-ins-fbi/index.html