Man pleads guilty in 2024 athlete home burglaries case

The first major development in months regarding the 2024 string of burglaries of high-profile athletes' homes -- including those of NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow -- took place inside a Tennessee federal courtroom Wednesday afternoon when one of perpetrators pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property, according to court documents.

Alexander Esteban Huaiquil Chavez pleaded guilty to the charge, although Tennessee court documents provided no further details about the case. Federal authorities filed a complaint in Florida in February 2025 that listed Huaiquil Chavez as a member of a theft group comprising Chilean nationals that broke into the homes of athletes across the United States, stealing cash, jewelry and weapons. They were charged with interstate transportation of stolen property.

The only case in the Florida complaint related to Tennessee was a burglary from December 2024 in which approximately $1 million in jewelry, watches and luxury bags were stolen from the home of "Professional Athlete 6," a Memphis Grizzlies player, while the Grizzlies hosted the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 19. ESPN's Tim MacMahon later confirmed the player was guard Ja Morant.

Huaiquil Chavez will be sentenced June 11. As part of the plea agreement, both sides agreed to two years imprisonment. If the court rejects the plea, either side can withdraw. U.S. attorneys recommended that Chavez receive "the maximum applicable reduction for acceptance of responsibility" provided he complies with the plea agreement's stipulations. Those include not committing any new crimes or purposely making false statements or testifying "falsely at any future proceedings."

Messages left with Huaiquil Chavez's attorney were not immediately returned to ESPN.

A grand jury indicted Huaiquil Chavez and three other men in Tennessee in May 2025 on one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

Sergio Andres Cabello, Bastian Alejandro Morales and Jordan Francisco Sanchez also were indicted in the Memphis case, but their statuses in Tennessee are unclear. The four men were arrested in Ohio on Jan. 10, 2025, after being pulled over for a traffic stop while they drove in a black 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer with Florida plates. In the arrest, the complaint noted, officers found fake identification and "burglary tools."

Federal law enforcement used data from cell phone towers and car rentals to track the alleged thieves. Law enforcement also discovered photographs on an iCloud account showing the alleged thieves with stolen watches.

Cabello, Morales and Sanchez also are charged with burglarizing Burrow's home in Ohio on Dec. 9, 2024, while Burrow was in Texas playing the Dallas Cowboys on "Monday Night Football." The Florida complaint listed Burrow as Professional Athlete 5.

A discovery letter filed in October 2025 to Huaiquil Chavez's attorney from the Department of Justice linked him to the Burrow case, stating "the government has provided evidence of other acts by Mr. Chavez related to the criminal action in Ohio."

In a February 2025 affidavit in Ohio charging Cabello, Morales and Sanchez, authorities alleged Huaiquil Chavez "admitted to purchasing a glass breaker Husky tool at Home Depot but would not give a reason why he purchased this tool."

The judge in the Cabello, Morales and Sanchez cases has allowed multiple continuances, including on Tuesday, "to continue plea negotiations," according to federal court documents. The next status conference in those cases is set for May 5.

The Florida complaint alleged burglaries in the homes of Mahomes and Kelce (listed as Professional Athletes 2 and 3), Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (Professional Athlete 4) and an unnamed Tampa Bay Buccaneers football player (Professional Athlete 1).

The burglars used sophisticated methods to rob the homes. The federal complaint explained their usage of short-term cell phones, their knowledge of when athletes might not be home due to publicized game schedules and how they approached from "wooded or dark" areas. The complaint alleged the group then would break a window or use a crowbar to slide open a door before entering the residence.

Portis posted video of his Wisconsin home being burglarized by thieves in hoods and masks hiding their faces while wearing hazmat-style protective suits. A noise sounding like a power tool and short Spanish phrases were all that could be heard on the video.

The string of burglaries led the FBI to warn professional sports organizations about the break-ins, claiming at least nine athletes had their homes robbed. The NFL, NBA and NHL then sent warnings to players about elevated risks and information about best practices.

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