Two men, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, and Juan Villar, 48, have been arrested for allegedly operating a fencing operation that bought stolen luxury goods linked to burglaries across the U.S. The stolen items were then resold at a pawn shop in Manhattan’s Diamond District. Nezhinskiy and Villar are accused of purchasing stolen watches, jewelry, handbags, and other luxury items from South American theft groups and reselling them at their business.
Federal prosecutors say that Nezhinskiy was connected to a crew involved in the high-profile burglary of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home in December 2024. Investigations revealed that Nezhinskiy had been in contact with members of the burglary crew just days before the crime.
Between October 2022 and January 2024, undercover operations led to controlled sales of purported stolen goods to Nezhinskiy and Villar. During these transactions, the defendants paid in cash for luxury items like handbags and accessories. Authorities later seized large quantities of suspected stolen property during a raid at their pawn shop and storage units in New Jersey, including high-end watches, jewelry, sports memorabilia, and burglary tools.
If convicted, the men face up to 10 years in prison. Their arrests follow the capture of four Chilean nationals involved in the same burglary ring. The investigation continues, with law enforcement warning of a larger international theft operation behind these crimes.
