Two Men Have Been Accused of Selling Stolen Items From Houses All Over the Country, Including the Home of an Athlete in Ohio

One of two men accused of fencing luxury goods stolen from homes across the country has been linked to a theft at the residence of a “high-profile athlete in Ohio” on the same day that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was broken into, federal authorities said in court documents released Tuesday.

A grand jury in federal court in New York City has charged Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar with purchasing stolen watches, gold, and other valuable items from various burglary gangs, including some from South America. They have been reselling these items at their pawn shop in Manhattan since 2020.

The court papers don’t directly say that Burrow is a victim. Prosecutors claimed they had proof, like phone records, connecting Nezhinskiy to suspects in a theft near Cincinnati on December 9. This was also the day of the burglary at Burrow’s home while he and the Bengals were in Dallas for a game. A representative from the U.S. attorney’s office did not quickly reply to an email sent on Tuesday evening.

Nezhinskiy and Villar are facing charges following the indictment of four men from Chile for a series of thefts at expensive homes, according to the Ohio attorney general. But he refused to say if professional sports were the targets.

Last month, four men were arrested in Ohio when police found them in an SUV with a Louisiana State University shirt and a Cincinnati Bengals hat. Both items were thought to be stolen from a house near Cincinnati on December 9, according to a sworn statement. Burrow played college football at LSU.

Nezhinskiy, 43, from Georgia and living in North Bergen, New Jersey, and Villar, 48, from the Queens area of New York City, were taken on Tuesday. They will appear in court on Wednesday. They face several charges for getting stolen items.

Nezhinskiy’s lawyer did not respond to phone calls or emails on Tuesday evening. Court records do not show that Villar has an attorney yet.

According to U.S. Attorney John J. Durham, the defendants are accused of creating an illegal market that increased the demand for burglaries by South American Theft Groups and other gangs across the country. They did this by buying stolen watches, jewelry, and luxury items, then selling them in their store in New York City.

Prosecutors reported that a lot of suspected stolen items were discovered at the business of the two men and in storage units in New Jersey owned by Nezhinskiy.

According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, no one was hurt during the break-in at Burrow’s house, which was searched through and had a broken bedroom window.

“Burrow said afterward that he feels like his privacy has been invaded in many ways.” “There is much more information available than I’d like to share.”