Manhattan’s famed Diamond District, specifically the 47th Street Diamond Exchange, became the center of a major FBI operation this week as federal agents executed a search warrant at 75 West 47th Street. The raid, which took place around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, is linked to a series of burglaries targeting professional athletes and resulted in the arrest of two individuals.
Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, and Juan Villar, 48, are now facing charges of conspiracy to receive stolen property. They are alleged to be key players in a fencing operation connected to South American theft groups believed to be behind the burglaries targeting high-profile athletes, including Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
According to the indictment, Nezhinskiy and Villar allegedly operated a pawn shop within the 47th Street Diamond Exchange, using it as a front to purchase and resell luxury items stolen from burglaries across the country. They are accused of buying stolen goods from Bryan Leandro Herrera Maldonado, who is implicated in 16 residential robberies across the U.S. between 2019 and 2020.
Both suspects were apprehended; Nezhinskiy in New Jersey and Villar in Manhattan. They were scheduled to appear in court in Downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday.
United States Attorney John Durham stated, “As alleged, the defendants created an illicit market and fueled demand for burglaries by South American Theft Groups and other crews around the country by purchasing stolen watches, jewelry and other luxury items, and then re-selling them in their New York City store.” This highlights the significant role the 47th Street Diamond Exchange location allegedly played in this nationwide criminal enterprise.
For nearly half a decade, authorities believe Nezhinskiy and Villar acted as brokers, facilitating the sale of stolen luxury goods by purchasing them from burglary rings operating out of South America. These stolen items, which included jewelry, watches, handbags, and other high-end goods, were taken from homes outside of New York and transported into the state, according to prosecutors.
The indictment further reveals that phone records and video surveillance connect Nezhinskiy to at least two individuals from a four-person burglary crew suspected of involvement in the December 9, 2024, burglary targeting Joe Burrow.
An undercover operation further solidified the case against the defendants. An undercover detective conducted seven controlled sales of items purported to be stolen, including luxury handbags and accessories, to Nezhinskiy and/or Villar at their business within the 47th Street Diamond Exchange between October 2022 and January 2024. During these transactions, the detective explicitly informed the defendants that the items were stolen and received cash in exchange, as detailed in the indictment.
During the Tuesday raid at the 47th Street Diamond Exchange, law enforcement seized a substantial amount of suspected stolen property, including numerous high-end watches and pieces of jewelry. Large sums of cash and marijuana were also recovered from the premises.
Simultaneously, a search warrant was executed at storage units belonging to Nezhinskiy in New Jersey. This additional search yielded a further cache of suspected stolen goods. Inside these units, authorities discovered a wide array of luxury items and clothing, including high-end handbags, wine, sports memorabilia, jewelry, artwork, and power tools – tools often associated with burglaries and safe cracking.
The FBI’s operation at the 47th Street Diamond Exchange underscores the area’s unfortunate connection to the illicit trade of stolen luxury goods and its role in a larger network of criminal activity stretching beyond New York City. The arrests and seizures are a significant step in disrupting this network and bringing those involved to justice.
(ABC News contributed to this report.)
