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The owner of a New York City pawn shop pleaded guilty to buying and selling luxury items stolen during a burglary at the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in December, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York announced via ESPN.
Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, of North Bergen, New Jersey, faced one court of conspiracy to receive stolen property. Nzehinskiy pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn federal court on Friday (July 18), admitting that he knew the property, which included high-end watches, jewelry and handbags, was stolen.
Nezhinskiy, whose sentencing date hasn't been determined, faces a maximum of five years in prison and restitution of approximately $2.5 million and forfeiture exceeding $2.5 million, as well as federal charges and the possibility of deportation as he is a native of the country of Georgia and legally resides in the United States, District Judge William F. Kuntz said via ESPN.
"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 obtained by ESPN. "It was a deliberate operation that helped professional burglars prey on innocent people."
Juan Villar, 48, a co-defendant who co-managed the pawn shop, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge in June, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed on Friday.
Burrow spoke extensively about the incident in which members of a large criminal network allegedly broke into his home, which also revealed his link to model Olivia Ponton.
"I just get very uncomfortable," Burrow said on the Netflix docuseries Quarterback released earlier this month. "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."
Burrow was shown discussing the incident with Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and expressed long-term concerns.
"We'll see if I end up moving or not," Burrow said on the show. "Now the whole world knows where I live now. But that hasn't been very fun to deal with."
Burrow is coming off the best statistical season of his career, having thrown for an NFL-best 4,918 yards and 49 touchdowns, nearly leading the Bengals on an improbable playoff berth despite 4-8 start in 2024.