A pair of suspected crooks tied to a South American theft crew were nabbed by the FBI in Manhattan’s Diamond District Tuesday — and one of the suspects is linked to the December robbery at NFL quarterback Joe Burrow’s home in Ohio, law enforcement sources said.
Dimitriy Zezhinskiy and Juan Villar are accused of running a Midtown pawn shop where pricey stolen goods like high-end handbags, watches, jewelry and sports memorabilia were peddled. The loot was allegedly stashed at the shop and a New Jersey storage unit.
“The defendants created an illicit market and fueled demand for burglaries by South American theft groups and other crews around the country by purchasing stolen watches, jewelry and other luxury items and then reselling them in the New York City store,” said John Durham, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which is prosecuting the case.
A pair of suspected crooks tied to a South American crew of thieves were nabbed by cops in Manhattan Tuesday – including one suspect with ties to the December robbery of NLF quarterback Joe Burrow’s pricey home in Ohio, law enforcement sources said. Brian Zak/NY Post
The suspects are not believed to be tied to a nationwide string of heists targeting athletes – although one is believed to be linked to the burglary at Burrows’ $7.5 million mansion. Brian Zak/NY PostNezhinskiy, 43, a Georgian national from North Bergen, New Jersey who goes by the nickname “Russo,” and US-born Villar, of Queens, 48, were linked to at least five high-end robberies dating to 2020, the feds said.
FBI agents descended on the Manhattan pawn shop on West 47th Street and Sixth Avenue late Tuesday morning and arrested Villar — seizing a cache of stolen goods, as well as cash and marijuana, the federal complaint said.
One of the suspects is linked to the December robbery at NFL quarterback Joe Burrow’s home in Ohio, law enforcement sources said. Getty ImagesAgents then executed a warrant at Nezhinskiy’s storage unit in New Jersey and found “large quantities of luxury goods and clothing, including high-end hand-bags, wine, sports memorabilia, jewelry and art.”
Both men have ties to Bryan Leandro Herrera Maldonado, described by federal prosecutors as “a prolific burglar who committed at least 16 residential burglaries” across the US in 2019 and 2020.
Nezhinskiy is also believed to be linked to the burglary at Burrows’ $7.5 million mansion in Anderson Township — but it’s not clear whether they are both involved in a larger, nationwide ring of heists targeting athletes.
Last month, four Chilean nationals were arrested in connection to the burglary at the quarterback’s home.
The New York arrests are tied to a series of arrests targeting the South American gang throughout the country, the sources said. Brian Zak/NY Post
FBI agents are seen removing boxes from the pawn shop. William C Lopez/New York PostAccording to the feds, Nezhinskiy was in touch with at least two members of the crew suspected in the Burrows burglary one week before the heist.
Police previously said a South American crime ring was also behind the October burglaries of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Nezhinskiy was subject to a “final order of removal” in 2003 but “cannot be returned to his home country,” the complaint said. It is not clear why.
But Nezhinskiy has a criminal history in the US that includes charges of possession of a forged instrument, petit larceny and robbery dating to 2001, federal prosecutors said.
Villar, who lives in Queens, has prior busts for assault and offering a false instrument for filing in the past, the feds said.
Both suspects arrested in the Big Apple are due to be arraigned on criminal charges on Wednesday.
“For almost five years Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar allegedly served as unlawful brokers to perpetuate the sale of stolen luxury items,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Dennehy said.
The Diamond District raid teamed the feds with the NYPD and the Nassau County Police Department, prosecutors said.
Additional reporting by Joe Marino
