TAMPA, Fla. — Seven Chilean nationals have been charged in a string of nationwide burglaries that targeted professional athletes, including a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player in October of last year.

According to a release from the Department of Justice,  Pablo Zuniga Cartes Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut, Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Orellano Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, and Sergio Ortega Cabello are all facing 10 years in prison.

The seven nationals were reportedly members of a South American theft group that targeted NFL and NBA players across the country, stealing valuables worth more than $2 million.

The homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized on Oct. 5 and Oct. 7, 2024. DOJ officials said jewelry, watches, cash, and other luxury merchandise were stolen.

Weeks later, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was burglarized.  Jewelry, designer watches, a luxury suitcase, and a firearm were stolen, according to the DOJ.

The following months saw Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and players with the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies get burglarized.

In a photo released by the DOJ, several of the accused can be seen posing with the allegedly stolen items, including several watches. 

A report from the Associated Press says some of the men were arrested after a traffic stop in Ohio on state charges of breaking into Burrow’s home. The federal charges in Tampa were filed on Jan. 30.

The group was known to break off into smaller units to commit multiple burglaries, according to an affidavit from the FBI.

“However, though burglary groups may consist of four or five members, these separate groups often work in concert with one another, communicate with one another and (use) the same buyers of stolen merchandise,” the FBI affidavit says.

The Associated Press contributed to the reporting in this article.