Thefts at homes of NFL and NBA athletes underline anti-terrorist program's weakness
NBC News confirmed that some of those charged in thefts at athletes' homes traveled under the U.S. visa waiver partnership with Chile, and stayed longer than allowed.
Some of the people suspected of being members of a theft ring charged with slipping into the homes of famous athletes to rob them entered the United States legally. But their arrests have underscored problems with a post-9/11 program that is supposed to vet certain travelers to keep out criminals and terrorists.
Authorities in Florida have charged seven Chileans in connection with a string of million-dollar burglaries of homes of professional athletes across the country. Jewelry, cash, designer luggage and other items were stolen.
NBC News confirmed that some of those charged in the thefts traveled to the country under the U.S. visa waiver partnership with Chile and stayed longer than the three months they were allowed. That means they were not required to have visas to travel to the United States and could stay for up to three months.
However, they would have been required to undergo a prescreening before traveling here, under what is known as the Electronic System Travel Authorization (ESTA) program, created in 2008. The ESTA approval aims to ensure that a foreign visitor is not a homeland security threat or not trying to exploit their travel.
Trusted partner countries are supposed to help in this process by sharing background information on their citizens, including criminal records.
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