A Seattle man has been charged with a series of burglaries at the homes of prominent current and former football and baseball players.
Earl Henderson Riley IV, 21, faces multiple counts of residential burglary and first-degree robbery, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors allege that Riley led a theft spree beginning in February, targeting athletes’ homes while they were away for games and other events.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, multiple athletes have reported burglaries during various events, leading authorities to suspect that these cases could all be connected.
Dallas athletes who have reported break-ins while away from their homes include Stars forward Tyler Seguin and former Maverick Luka Doncic, though it remains unclear if Riley was connected to these crimes.
The stolen items associated with the allegations against Riley include over $6,000 in Louis Vuitton bags from Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo’s residence, more than $194,000 worth of high-end purses and jewelry from center fielder Julio Rodríguez’s home, and several watches valued at over $100,000 from former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman’s house, according to ABC News.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said in a statement about the arrest that the office “worked for weeks on multiple search warrants that led to the filing of these felony charges today.”
“I am grateful for the excellent work from our deputy prosecutors and from police investigators on these home burglaries, and all burglaries filed in King County. All people deserve to feel safe in their homes, and our office will continue to hold people accountable for criminal behavior.”
This investigation is ongoing, and there are additional charges that could be added at a later time.
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gary Ernsdorff said in the statement that this arrest “doesn’t mean our work is finished,” and everyone else involved will be pursued.
“We still want to go and identify everybody who was involved and see if there are additional people that we can have sufficient evidence to charge.”
Riley is currently being held in King County Jail on a $1 million bail for the charges associated with this investigation.
Similar incidents across the country have prompted multiple professional sports leagues, including both the NBA and NFL, to issue warnings to players about the potential for break-ins during events.