Houston Astros Jose Altuve takes live batting practice before an MLB baseball game in Houston, Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

Houston Astros Jose Altuve takes live batting practice before an MLB baseball game in Houston, Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve packed up his Hedwig Village home and moved following a 2023 break-in that led to the arrests of five people in connection to the $1 million theft of his designer watches and gold jewelry, a prosecutor said during a punishment hearing Friday. 

One of the men behind the burglary was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment — about half of what prosecutor Jacob Salinas asked from a judge. 

Altuve, he said, wanted more — specifically a life sentence. 

Article continues below this ad

Salinas called the theft “one of the biggest heists” that Houston had ever seen — and it left Altuve’s family feeling vulnerable and fearful. 

“He had to put things and dreams aside because he can’t have the house or the yard that he wants — and feel safe while he’s on the road traveling,” Salinas said. 

Altuve is married with two daughters.

READ MORE: Jose Altuve is back with Astros after being out nearly three weeks with strained oblique muscle

Article continues below this ad

The 36-year-old Astros player detailed his worries in a letter translated from Spanish that Salinas described. The letter wasn’t read out loud for Judge Katherine Thomas in the 184th District Court, but it was shared in a pre-sentencing investigation report for Thomas to read about defendant Patrick Maxey, whose sentence the judge decided following the hearing. 

Maxey pleaded guilty to the burglary of a habitation charge last November.

The prosecution did not call Altuve to testify at the hearing. He returned to the starting lineup following the hearing after being on the injured list since mid-May with a strained oblique muscle. 

Swift timeline behind break-in

When the Astros threw the first pitch at 6:14 p.m. on March 30, 2023, Maxey and others were poised to gather in south Houston for the break-in. An investigator with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office walked the judge through a minute-by-minute timeline of Maxey’s movements based on phone and vehicle GPS records, according to testimony. 

Article continues below this ad

Maxey and a second man were dropped off at Altuve’s home around 8 p.m. The duo scaled a neighbor’s fence to access the property and wandered around Altuve’s pool trying to figure out how to enter the home. Around 8:30 p.m., the men used a potted plant to climb through a window, according to court records. 

They were out within 10 minutes and were seen on surveillance cameras with bags of goods. 

Altuve returned about 9:30 p.m. to find the pot misplaced on his back patio. He then found that more than a half dozen watches, one worth at least $420,000, and assorted gold jewelry had been taken from a bedroom, according to search warrants. 

Maxey, who was on parole at the time of the break-in, was among those arrested in the weeks to come. Police confronted him weeks later as he rode a horse. 

His defense attorney, Edward Jointer, said Maxey made no attempt to flee. 

Article continues below this ad

Jointer described Maxey as being a secondary player in the heist, whose troubled upbringing made him more susceptible to participating in the scheme. Maxey entered the criminal justice system as a juvenile and suffered abuse by one of his mother’s partners. His father was also incarcerated for much of his youth, according to testimony.

The attorney identified William Jones as the mastermind. Jones was sentenced in December to 25 years for his role in the theft.

Houston Astros Jose Altuve (27) walks to the batting cages during Spring Training at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.

Houston Astros Jose Altuve (27) walks to the batting cages during Spring Training at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.

Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle

‘Safety and security’

The judge said she started the hearing with a particular punishment in mind, but the work of Maxey’s attorneys convinced her to consider a different sentence for Maxey. 

Article continues below this ad

“After learning more information about you, I’ve come to a different decision,” Thomas said. “This doesn’t in any way eliminate the fact that you have made a lot of horrible decisions, and you’ve robbed a lot of people and their safety and their security.” 

The fact that Altuve was the victim in the case did not factor into her decision, she said. 

“People, when they go back into their homes, have felt violated because of your conduct and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to happen to your grandmother or to your mother,” she continued. “I don’t know if this incident will wake you up, but I owe it to this community to protect them.”

Charges remain pending for two other people linked to the theft. 

Jordan Tarniella pleaded guilty to burglary of a habitation in March 2025, but he cut off his ankle monitor months later before a judge could sentence him. 

Related charges of hindering apprehension and evading arrest against Jasmyn Hall, Jones’ girlfriend, remain pending, with court records showing prosecutors have flagged her as their witness against the others. 

A jeweler who looked at the watches with Jones was charged with theft, but prosecutors dismissed his case in the interest of justice, court records show.