Man accused of fencing stolen objects linked to theft at star athlete’s Ohio dwelling, prosecutors say

Certainly one of two males accused of fencing luxurious items stolen from houses throughout the nation has been linked to a theft on the residence of a “high-profile athlete in Ohio” on the identical day that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s dwelling was damaged into, federal authorities stated in court docket paperwork launched Tuesday.

Grand jury indictments in federal court docket in New York Metropolis accuse Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar of shopping for stolen watches, jewellery and different costly objects from a wide range of housebreaking crews, together with some from South America, and re-selling them at their pawn store in Manhattan since 2020.

The court docket paperwork don’t particularly identify Burrow as a sufferer. However prosecutors alleged there was proof together with cellphone data linking Nezhinskiy to suspects in a theft close to Cincinnati on Dec. 9 — the identical day of the housebreaking at Burrow’s dwelling whereas he and the Bengals had been enjoying in Dallas. A spokesperson for the U.S. lawyer’s workplace didn’t instantly return an e mail Tuesday night.

The fees in opposition to Nezhinskiy and Villar come after 4 males from Chile had been indicted in what the Ohio lawyer basic known as a string of burglaries at multimillion-dollar houses. However he declined to say whether or not skilled athletes had been the targets.

The 4 males had been arrested final month in Ohio after being present in an SUV together with a Louisiana State College shirt and a Cincinnati Bengals hat. Each had been believed to be stolen from the home close to Cincinnati on Dec. 9, in response to an affidavit. Burrow performed in school at LSU.

Nezhinskiy, 43, a Georgian nationwide who lives in North Bergen, New Jersey, and Villar, 48, of the Queens part of New York Metropolis, had been arrested Tuesday and are scheduled to be arraigned in court docket Wednesday. They’re charged with a number of counts of receiving stolen items.

A lawyer for Nezhinskiy didn’t instantly return cellphone and e mail messages Tuesday night. Courtroom data don’t but checklist an lawyer for Villar.

“As alleged, the defendants created a bootleg market and fueled demand for burglaries by South American Theft Teams and different crews across the nation by buying stolen watches, jewellery and different luxurious objects, after which re-selling them of their New York Metropolis retailer,” U.S. Legal professional John J. Durham stated in an announcement.

Prosecutors stated a considerable amount of suspected stolen property was discovered on the two males’s enterprise and at storage models in New Jersey belonging to Nezhinskiy.

Nobody was injured within the break-in at Burrow’s dwelling, which was ransacked and had a shattered bed room window, in response to a report from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Workplace.

“I really feel like my privateness has been violated in additional methods than one,” Burrow stated afterward. “Far more is on the market than I might need on the market and that I care to share.”