KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pro football teams are always looking for a steal in the annual NFL draft. This was not the kind of theft they were expecting.
Two men visiting Kansas City for the 2023 NFL draft are accused of stealing jerseys intended for draft picks, according to a news release from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Eric F. Lambkin, 40, of Marietta, Georgia, and Jude Ocanas, 19, of Los Angeles, were charged with second-degree burglary, stealing and misdemeanor trespassing, KMBC-TV reported.
According to court records filed in Jackson County, Missouri, NFL officials reported that three jerseys were stolen from the Nike Room used to store the uniforms for the NFL draft, WDAF-TV reported.
Taken were a blue Dallas Cowboys jersey, a red San Francisco 49ers jersey and a Minnesota Vikings jersey, according to KMBC. Each jersey had a “No. 1″ on it, available for first-round picks.
Detectives with the Kansas City Police Department reviewed security footage that showed that the suspects had credentials for the NFL draft but not for the Nike Room, according to KSHB-TV.
The jerseys were valued at $350 each, WDAF reported.
Lambkins and Ocanas were reportedly arrested later Friday, according to KSHB. Two jerseys were recovered when police searched their luggage, prosecutors said.