Bobby Portis' home burglarized; Ohio arrests may be linked
Bobby Portis (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - Arrests made in Ohio this week may be linked to the burglary of Milwaukee Bucks star Bobby Portis' home last year.
Ohio arrests
What we know:
In court on Friday, an attorney for the River Hills Police Department admitted the possibility that the men arrested may be linked to the burglary case at Portis' home. The River Hills Police Department is being sued to release records related to the case.
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FOX6 News has requested those records but is not part of the lawsuit.
Four men from Chile were indicted Tuesday in what the Ohio attorney general called a string of burglaries at multimillion-dollar homes, but he declined to say whether professional athletes were the targets.
The four were arrested earlier this month in Ohio after being found in an SUV along with an LSU shirt and a Cincinnati Bengals hat. Both were believed to be stolen from a house near Cincinnati on Dec. 9, according to an affidavit.
Ohio state police bodycam from Jan. 10
The burglary in December came on the same day Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was broken into while he and the Bengals were playing in Dallas. Court documents don't directly say whether the four men were linked to that break-in or list the address of Burrow, who played in college at LSU.
The four men arrested in Fairborn, Ohio, were indicted Tuesday on charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, participating in a criminal gang and possessing criminal tools.
All four were found to be illegally in the country or overstayed their permissions, according to the affidavit.
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Investigators said they found devices used to break through windows and that three of the men had fake identifications, according to the documents.
What we don't know:
Court documents don't state whether the men are connected to a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent NFL, NHL and NBA players – including Portis' home.
The FBI in December issued a warning to leagues about organized crime groups targeting pro athletes, saying that organized theft groups from South America were using social media and other information to track the athletes.
Surveillance from burglary at Bobby Portis' home in River Hills
Portis' home burglarized
The backstory:
Portis was playing at Fiserv Forum when investigators say at least two people forced their way into his home last year.
At the time, River Hills Police Chief Michael Gaynor said that the burglary shares similarities to those of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce – and sources told FOX sister station in Kansas City the thefts could be the work of a South American crime ring.
Home surveillance shows the thieves at Portis' River Hills home on Saturday, Nov. 2. Investigators say at least two people broke in and left with stolen items a few minutes later.
Portis said he was willing to dish out $40,000 in reward money if it led to the return of his stolen items.
The Source: Information in this report is from The Associated Press and prior FOX6 News coverage.