The FBI issued a notice to sports leagues earlier this month informing teams and players of recent burglaries targeting professional athletes and advising them on how to protect themselves from future crimes, two sources confirmed to CBS News.
The advisory — a standard warning sent by federal investigators detailing the reported robberies — said at least nine professional athletes were targeted in the rash of forced entries at their homes across the country between September and November, according to the sources. The FBI warned that the behavior, which included using publicly available information to target homes and deploying technology to bypass security systems, is consistent with past practices employed by international criminal organizations.
CBS News has previously reported the FBI is investigating the matter and possible connections to international gangs emanating from South America. The theory is one of many being pursed by law enforcement and investigators are working to determine if the string of recent burglaries are connected and if so, who might be responsible.
ABC News was first to report the warning by the FBI.
The bulletin — issued before news broke that Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was reportedly targeted — advised sports leagues to inform athletes of the burglaries and it also listed ways athletes can safeguard their belongings, especially when traveling for out-of-town games. No specific athletes were named in the notice, according to the two sources.
In addition to Doncic, CBS News has previously reported on break-ins at the homes of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr., Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis, and Tyler Seguin of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
When contacted by CBS News, the FBI did not confirm that it had issued the notice earlier this month, but said in a statement, “While we cannot confirm or deny the existence of any specific investigations, the FBI monitors potential threats and regularly shares information with our law enforcement partners and the private sector to help protect public safety. As always, we ask members of the public to report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”
