Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals walks across the field during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears in the game at Paycor Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dylan Buell/Getty Images
(CINCINNATI) — Three men charged in a December 2024 burglary at the Ohio home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow are in talks with federal prosecutors about a plea deal, according to a new court filing Friday.
The men — Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales and Jordan Fransico Quiroga Sanchez — allegedly stole $300,000 worth of designer luggage, glasses, wrist watches and jewelry from Burrow’s home in Anderson Township.
Burrow was not home at the time as the Bengals were playing a game in Dallas against the Cowboys.
Burrow’s girlfriend, Olivia Ponton, discovered the burglary when she was dropped off at the house “and noticed that the living room and master bedroom looked unusually messy,” according to the criminal complaint.
Federal prosecutors and lawyers for the three men asked the judge Friday for additional time to negotiate a possible plea deal.
They were charged with interstate transport of stolen goods and falsification of records in a federal investigation after being pulled over in a traffic stop on Jan. 10. Authorities found photos of the three men allegedly posing with the stolen jewelry one day after the break-in on one of the men’s cellphones.
The judge, Jeffrey Hopkins, agreed on Friday to reconvene Dec. 18 to give the parties “additional time to either negotiate a plea agreement or prepare for trial.”
Although Burrow was out of state at the time of the burglary, a security detail had been deployed to watch the residence while he was gone. The thieves took advantage of a shift change with the security detail, according to the criminal complaint. Authorities believe the burglars entered the property from the woods, out of sight of the security detail, the complaint said.
They then forced entry through the bedroom window at the rear of the house, according to the complaint. No security cameras were located at the rear of the residence.
The suspects are also facing state charges of first-degree felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and second-degree felony burglary, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich announced in February.
Authorities believe the three men are members of a South American theft group and operated in the same manner as others that targeted the homes of professional athletes around the country. The crime rings have targeted everyone from Kansas City Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis.
ABC News’ Jason Volack and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was arrested by FBI agents upon arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City on Thursday, as he surrendered following his indictment this month in connection with an alleged sports gambling scheme.
Clase, who had traveled from the Dominican Republic, is due in Brooklyn federal court Thursday afternoon for arraignment on the indictment charging him with rigging pitches so sports bettors could make hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent bets.
Clase and fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Leandro Ortiz allegedly conspired with sports bettors to rig pitches they threw so the bettors would profit from illegal wagers, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and the FBI said.
According to the indictment, Clase started conspiring with sports bettors in 2023 on specific pitches he would throw during MLB games. The bettors then used that information to place prop bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, the indictment says.
The bettors wagered on the speed and type of Clase’s pitches based on information they knew in advance by coordinating with Clase, sometimes even during MLB games, prosecutors said. Clase often threw these allegedly rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat, investigators said. To ensure certain pitches were called as balls, Clase threw many of them in the dirt, well outside the strike zone, according to investigators.
In exchange, Clase received bribes and kickbacks, prosecutors said.
The indictment includes numerous examples of pitches that Clase allegedly rigged, including one in a game against the New York Mets. In total, by rigging pitches, Clase caused his co-conspirator bettors to win at least $400,000 in fraudulent wagers, according to investigators.
Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025, according to the indictment, and allegedly agreed in advance to throw balls instead of strikes on pitches in two games in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.
He pleaded not guilty to several conspiracy charges at his arraignment in Brooklyn on Wednesday. Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo ordered Ortiz released on a $500,000 bond secured by his wife and a second surety to be named by next week.
The criminal investigations into Clase and Ortiz began after betting platforms noticed unusual activity during certain games or moments and/or after referrals from various professional sports leagues, the source told ABC News.
The news of this MLB betting probe comes after the Department of Justice recently unsealed indictments accusing Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones of participating in rigged poker games, while Jones and current Miami Heat player Terry Rozier allegedly took part in illegal betting schemes.
A source familiar with the investigation told ABC News the case against Clase and Ortiz is not connected to the NBA indictment, and is also separate from an NCAA disclosure about six former college basketball players accused of allegedly rigging games.
(NEW YORK) — Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz pleaded not guilty to several conspiracy charges accusing him of rigging pitches he through so sports bettors could take home a windfall.
Appearing in a Brooklyn court on Wednesday, Ortiz appeared in a leather jacket and his long dreadlocks pulled into a loose ponytail.
Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo ordered Ortiz released on a $500,000 bond secured by his wife and a second surety to be named by next week.
He must stay in Boston, where he has a residence, but is permitted to travel to New York for court and Ohio to meet with his attorneys there.
Ortiz is an “enormous risk of flight,” the judge said.
“The defendant has significant monetary resources and, importantly, has close connections in the Dominican Republic,” Marutollo, who imposed location monitoring, said.
Over the objection of the defense, the judge also imposed a gambling restriction, because, he said, “these allegations here relate to conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery.”
Ortiz is due back in court on Dec. 2.
Emmanuel Clase, likewise a pitcher for the Guardians, was also indicted in connection to this sports gambling scheme, but is still not in custody. Clase is expected to surrender Thursday and appear for arraignment in Brooklyn federal court that afternoon.
According to the indictment, the pitchers started conspiring with sports bettors in 2023 on specific pitches they would throw during MLB games. The bettors then used that information to place prop bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, the indictment said.
The bettors wagered on the speed and type of Clase’s pitches based on information they knew in advance by coordinating with Clase, sometimes even during MLB games, prosecutors said. Clase often threw these allegedly rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat, investigators said. To ensure certain pitches were called as balls, Clase threw many of them in the dirt, well outside the strike zone, according to investigators.
In exchange, Clase received bribes and kickbacks, prosecutors said.
The indictment includes numerous examples of pitches Clase allegedly rigged, including one in a game against the New York Mets. In total, by rigging pitches, Clase caused his co-conspirator bettors to win at least $400,000 in fraudulent wagers, according to investigators.
Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme this year, according to the indictment, and allegedly agreed in advance to throw balls instead of strikes on pitches in two games in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. Before an MLB game on June 15, Ortiz agreed with his co-conspirators to throw a ball on a particular pitch in exchange for bribes, the indictment alleges. The bettors agreed to pay Ortiz a $5,000 bribe for throwing the rigged pitch and Clase a $5,000 bribe for arranging the rigged pitch, also according to the indictment.
“Through this scheme, the defendants defrauded betting platforms, deprived Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public, and betrayed America’s pastime,” the indictment said.
The criminal investigations into Clase and Ortiz began after betting platforms noticed unusual activity during certain games or moments and/or after referrals from various professional sports leagues, the source told ABC News.
The news of this MLB betting probe comes after the Department of Justice recently unsealed an indictment accusing three current and former National Basketball Association coaches and players of participating in an illegal sports gambling scheme.
A source familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the case against Clase and Ortiz is not connected to the NBA indictment, and is also separate from an NCAA disclosure about six former college basketball players accused of allegedly rigging games.
