Tuesday, the NYPD and FBI raided a company in the Diamond District of New York City that authorities said was affiliated with a global thievery organization from South America that has been rifling into the homes of affluent people nationwide.
Investigators stated they are investigating whether this suspected fencing location is connected to any individuals engaged in recent break-ins at the houses of various famous athletes. The purchase and selling of stolen goods is a part of a fencing operation.
On Tuesday morning, a man was taken into custody on West 47th Street close to Sixth Avenue. The second-floor shop was examined by dozens of NYPD Major Case detectives and FBI officers. Later in the day, another individual was arrested, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York later Tuesday announced that two men associated with the Manhattan business, which was described as a pawn shop, were arrested on the basis of a federal grand jury indictment charging each of them with receiving stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen property.
Juan Villar and Dimitriy Nezhinskiy were named as the defendants. It’s unclear if they have hired attorneys to handle the case.
According to an email from Mia Eisner-Grynberg, deputy attorney-in-charge of Federal Defenders of New York, public defenders for anyone charged with federal offenses, the defendants are expected to be arraigned in court on Wednesday, after which defense lawyers might be assigned.
Investigators are investigating whether anyone involved in the break-in at Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s house is connected to any of the suspects operating the purported fencing enterprise, according to three people familiar with the case. Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials warned that the probe is still underway.
The criminal complaint alleges that Nezhinskiy and Villar intentionally bought expensive stolen goods with the goal of reselling them. Prior court documents link the two individuals to a company called Manhattan Gold & Diamond Buyers, Inc., located at 74 West 47th Street.
The phone conversation between Nezhinskiy and two of the four individuals suspected of being a part of the gang that broke into the home of a “high-profile athlete in Ohio” on December 9 is among the evidence that the U.S. Attorney’s Office said links Nezhinskiy and Villar to thefts across the United States.
Burrow’s house was broken into on that same day. “A Bengals hat allegedly stolen during that December break-in was spotted by detectives in an SUV used by the suspects,” according to court documents in the case of four men from Chile who were arrested as part of an investigation into coast-to-coast burglaries of upscale homes with occasionally high-profile residents.
The filings in that case also show that following an investigation into the burglaries, Ohio State Police officers stopped the Chevrolet SUV on Interstate 70 on January 10 and found an LSU football jersey that was allegedly taken in the Dec. 9 break-in.
According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s announcement last month, the suspects in that case are accused of engaging in corrupt practices, belonging to a criminal group, and having burglary equipment. A grand jury indictment from the state was used to charge them.
According to court documents, all four entered not guilty pleas to those allegations. A request for comment late Tuesday was not immediately answered by Clark County’s public defender’s office, which is representing them.
In another statement released Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office claimed that Nezhinskiy had communicated with a team suspected of breaking in on December 9 “less than one week before the burglary in Ohio.”
Based on an Eastern District of New York warrant, an FBI New York official had earlier verified an arrest at the Diamond District site. John Marzulli, the spokesperson for the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney, declined to comment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated in a statement on Tuesday that “large quantities of suspected stolen property,” including dozens of expensive watches and jewels, were found during the search at the 47th Street address connected to the Brooklyn defendants.
The office claimed that a simultaneous investigation of Nezhinskiy’s storage lockers in New Jersey brought up expensive purses, alcohol, jewelry, sports memorabilia, artwork, and burglary equipment.
“Nezhinskiy and Villar regularly served as ‘fences’ for burglary crews based out of South America who traveled around the United States committing burglaries, typically targeting wealthier neighborhoods or jewelry vendors, and stealing luxury accessories,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated in its statement. “Nezhinskiy and Villar s operation provided an essential market for the stolen goods.”
According to the statement, the two have allegedly been selling stolen goods for at least five years.
According to a statement from his office, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York John J. Durham said, “By buying stolen watches, jewelry, and other luxury items and then reselling them in their New York City store, the defendants created an illicit market and fueled demand for burglaries by South American Theft Groups and other crews around the country.”
Durham promised to target international burglary gangs, claiming that these kind of intrusions have “a corrosive effect” on Americans’ sense of security.
According to two sources, more arrests were being made in Florida in relation to a transnational theft organization based in South America that is said to be targeting the houses of wealthy people, including NFL and NBA stars.
Requests for comment Tuesday were not immediately answered by the FBI’s Tampa office or the U.S. attorney’s office in Tampa.
In November, athletes received security alerts from the NFL and NBA warning them of break-ins, some of which occurred while they were traveling with their teams.The houses of NBA players Bobby Portis, Mike Conley Jr., and Luka Doncica have been attacked. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are among victims.