The Big Lead

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce burglaries tied to South American crime syndicate

By Joe Lago

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) return to the sidelines after a score against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) return to the sidelines after a score against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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The recent burglaries at the homes of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce appear to be part of a growing crime wave tied to a South American syndicate that's targeting professional athletes.

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If that sounds like the latest plot for the next installment of Denzel Washington's "The Equalizer" franchise (thank goodness that Denzel will be doing more of them), it's surprisingly not. The NFL has issued a security alert to teams' security forces and the NFL Players Association about the growing danger, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero also reported that the FBI is investigating the matter as international organized crime and that "at least one other current NFL player's home was burglarized in the past week."

"It's legit," a source familiar with the situation told Pelissero. "It's a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they've focused on NBA and NFL players, and it's all over the country."

Mahomes and Kelce had their homes broken into on consecutive days last month during the weekend of the Kansas City Chiefs' 26-13 home win against the New Orleans Saints. Mahomes could not reveal any details due to the ongoing probe but called the burglary "frustrating, disappointing."

According to Pelissero, the perpetrators use public records to uncover players' home addresses and monitor their social media accounts to plan break-ins when the homes are empty. NFL security has recommended players to refrain from making real-time social media posts and to install security systems.

Fortunately, the burglaries are non-confrontational. Hopefully, there's a positive ending to this story with the bad guys getting their deserved punishment. And if that happens, there could be a big-budget recounting of it all with Denzel once again playing the good guy.

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