Three men, alleged members of a South American Theft Group, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of transporting stolen goods across state lines and falsifying records during a federal investigation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The indictment comes after a burglary at the residence of a Cincinnati NFL player on December 9, 2024.
The accused, Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, 22, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, 23, and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, 38, are all from Chile. "Our investigation remains ongoing as these individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American Theft Groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere," U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker stated via U.S. Department of Justice. The operation is multi-jurisdictional, involving local and federal resources to root out these criminal networks.
Responding to a report of a burglary at the NFL player's home around 8:14 pm on the day of the incident, authorities discovered a broken window and the home in disarray. Investigations revealed that the crime likely occurred between 6 pm and 8 pm when the homeowner was away at an NFL game in Dallas. The security detail, which had checked the house's perimeter around 6 pm, had not found any broken windows, suggesting the break-in happened shortly after.
A trail camera behind the property later caught an image of a man with luggage, which, along with further analysis, led to tracking the men to a La Quinta hotel on University Boulevard in Fairborn. The Ohio State Highway Patrol stopped the vehicle — during which Cabello allegedly deleted photographs of the stolen goods and the back of the victim’s home, thus falsifying records in a federal investigation. Further evidence from cell phone analysis showed photos of the defendants in southeast Florida wearing the stolen jewelry days after the burglary.
Discovered along with the defendants were tools used for breaking glass and items believed stolen from the NFL player’s home. The federal crimes carry considerable penalties, with up to 10 years in prison for interstate transportation of stolen property and up to 20 years for falsification of records in a federal investigation.
The collaboration between agencies such as the FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola, the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission’s Southwest Ohio Burglary Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations is key to tackling the larger issue of South American Theft Groups operating in the area. "South American Theft Groups have been a major concern in the Cincinnati area," Iatarola noted, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The three men, who faced previous charges at the state level, which remain pending, have now been taken into federal custody following the indictments.
