Pawn shop owner admits to fencing Burrow items

A New York City pawn shop owner has pleaded guilty to buying and selling luxury items stolen by a national burglary crew whose victims include Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York.

Burrow was playing a road game in December against the Dallas Cowboys when items were stolen from his home. An FBI complaint unsealed in February, identifying Burrow only as "Athlete 5," listed the total value of items stolen at around $300,000.

The pattern of athletes' homes being burglarized while they were publicly scheduled elsewhere includes Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and NBA stars Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers and Mike Conley of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The pawn shop owner, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, of North Bergen, New Jersey, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of conspiracy to receive stolen property in a Brooklyn federal court. He admitted knowingly purchasing stolen property, including high-end watches, jewelry and handbags.

Nezhinskiy, whose sentencing date has not been determined, faces a maximum of five years in prison and restitution of approximately $2.5 million and forfeiture of more than $2.5 million. In addition, because he is from the country of Georgia while legally residing in the United States, Nezhinskiy faces federal charges and the possibility of deportation, District Judge William F. Kuntz said.

"This defendant ran a black-market pipeline, buying stolen luxury goods from organized theft crews that targeted homes and businesses," New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement Friday. "It was a deliberate operation that helped professional burglars prey on innocent people."

Co-defendant Juan Villar, 48, who co-managed the pawn shop, pleaded guilty in June to the same charge, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Friday. The two men had worked together since 2020, according to the release, as "fences" to receive and buy stolen goods from outside of New York. Villar, of Queens, also is awaiting sentencing.

"For more than five years, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy established a demand for stolen merchandise, which allowed South American Theft Groups to profit from repeated burglaries," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia said in a statement. "His purchases perpetuated a ripple of criminality targeting residences and business across the country."

The U.S. Attorney's Office said South American theft groups traveled the United States and targeted homes in affluent neighborhoods as well as jewelry vendors. The investigation involving multiple states has resulted in six arrests.

Nezhinskiy and Villar weren't charged with specific burglaries. Police searched the pawn shop and storage units owned by Nezhinskiy in New Jersey and found suspected stolen property including sports memorabilia, artwork and fine wine as well as luxury goods and clothing and "power tools consistent with those commonly used in burglaries and opening safes," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Three men arrested in a series of burglaries, including the one of Burrow's home, were indicted in February by a federal grand jury in Cincinnati, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

Burrow said in the latest season of the Netflix show "Quarterback" that was released earlier this month that he canceled the purchase of a replica, fully functioning Batmobile following the burglary of his home.

"I just get very uncomfortable," Burrow told the show. "My life is very public. That comes with the job, but there's certain parts of your life that are yours. Your house is one of those."

Information from ESPN's Ben Baby and Field Level Media was used in this report.