Major breakthrough in burglary of Joe Burrow's $7.5 million mansion after shocking sports star robbery epidemic
The burglary of the Cincinnati Bengals ' $7.5 million mansion, which was covered on Netflix's 'Quarterback' docuseries, occurred on December 9 while Burrow was on the road for a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The pattern of athletes' homes 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 Jr. of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The pawn shop owner, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, of North Bergen, N.J., pleaded guilty on 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 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 news release on 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, per Friday's news release. The two men worked together between 2020 and this year, according to the release, as 'fences' to receive and buy stolen goods from outside of New York. Villar, of Queens, N.Y., also is awaiting sentencing.
The news release said that South American Theft Group 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 haven't been charged with specific burglaries. Police searched the pawn shop as well as 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 news release.
Four Chilean nationals were stopped and arrested by police on suspicion of robbery.
Police found the group in possession of LSU and Bengals gear, which is believed to have been taken from Burrow's home. Officers said the men were in the country illegally after overstaying their permission.
Three of the men are facing federal charges for allegedly transporting stolen goods and falsifying record in a federal investigation.
Those three are suspected by investigators of orchestrating similar robberies at the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.
In a shocking photo laid bare in court documents, all four men linked to the Burrow burglary could be seen posing in the jewelry they allegedly stole at his home - including the NFL star's personalized diamond-encrusted chains.
Olivia Ponton (right) was the one who called the police over the break-in at Burrow's home
They are understood to have made off with over $300,000 worth of his luxury possessions, according to federal prosecutors.
Burrow addressed the robbery at the time, although he was clearly skittish about saying too much publicly.
'So obviously everybody has heard what has happened,' Burrow said in a statement after the robbery.
'I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one. And way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share, so that's all I got to say about that.'
The incident was initially shrouded in mystery after it emerged that the 911 call was made by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Ponton rather than the quarterback's longtime partner Olivia Holzmacher.
Although Holzmacher is no longer believed to be involved with Burrow, Ponton has stayed silent on her relationship with the quarterback, refusing to address the topic when asked by paparazzo at last month's Met Gala . However, the two were recently spotted out late in New York.
Ponton - who boasts eight million followers on TikTok - is said to have told officers that she noticed 'a shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked' when she arrived at Burrow's property on December 9 . Burrow was out of town at the time.
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