NYC pawn shop owner pleads guilty to fencing luxury items stolen from homes across US

NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan pawn shop owner pleaded guilty Friday to serving as a fence for luxury items stolen from wealthy residences across the country, in a case that got attention because of its link to a burglary at the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow while he was playing an away game last year. Dimitriy Nezhinskiy admitted to knowingly purchasing stolen watches, jewelry and other high-end goods in order to re-sell them in his pawn shop. But he maintained that he did not know they had been taken from people's homes until after his arrest. "I am very sorry for my actions," the 44-year-old New Jersey resident said in Brooklyn federal court. "Most of my business was completely legitimate, and it was a good business." Nezhinskiy pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to receive stolen property. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison as well as restitution of about $2.5 million and forfeiture of more than $2.5 million. He'll be sentenced at a later date. "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. "It was a deliberate operation that helped professional burglars prey on innocent people." Prosecutors had previously described contacts between Nezhinskiy and a crew believed to be behind a burglary at Burrow's Ohio home last year, though Nezhinskiy was not charged in relation to that theft. In a court memo, prosecutors said at least two members of that crew had been in contact with Nezhinskiy less than a week before the Dec. 9 burglary. Nezhinskiy, who was born in the nation of Georgia but has legal status in the U.S., could also face deportation, U.S. District Court Judge William Kuntz noted. Juan Villar, a New York resident who ran the pawn shop with Nezhinskiy, pleaded guilty to the same charge last month and will be sentenced in December. Prosecutors said the shop in Manhattan's famed Diamond District fenced stolen goods for international burglary crews that targeted homes of wealthy households around the country. They say Nezhinskiy and Villar had been purchasing items from various crews and re-selling them from 2020 until the FBI raided the storefront and arrested them in February. In late December, the FBI had warned about a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent NFL and NBA players, though athletes were not specifically identified as victims in Nezhinskiy and Villar's cases. The crews, many consisting of foreign nationals from South America, mostly hit homes while athletes were out of town, including while playing in road games, prosecutors have said. Targets also included the homes of NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, Luka Doncic of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and Mike Conley Jr. of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The investigation into the Burrow burglary spanned several states and led to at least six arrests. Nezhinskiy and Villar weren't charged in connection with specific robberies, but prosecutors said phone records link Nezhinskiy to one of the men charged with ransacking Burrow's house. Prosecutors also say a large amount of suspected stolen property was found at the two men's business and at storage units in New Jersey belonging to Nezhinskiy, including luxury handbags, wine, sports memorabilia, jewelry, artwork and power tools commonly used for burglaries and opening safes. The break-in at Burrow's home happened on Dec. 9, 2024 while the Bengals were playing in Dallas. Police said a person arrived at the home to find a shattered bedroom window and the home ransacked. The person called her mother, who notified authorities, and was later revealed to be Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Olivia Ponton, not Burrow's previous girlfriend. "I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one," Burrow said afterward. "Way more is out there than I would want out there and that I care to share." Police said they apprehended those burglars the following month after finding them in an SUV with a Louisiana State University shirt and a Cincinnati Bengals hat believed to be stolen from Burrow's home. Burrow played college football at LSU. Police also found photos the robbers took of themselves flashing some of the other spoils — jewelry, watches, designer luggage and glasses. One even wore necklaces with pendants showing "JB9" and the number 9 — Burrow's jersey number.