A pair of Diamond District pawn shop owners accused of fencing around $5 million in stolen goods were thrown in jail Friday — because they’re too dangerous given their ties to a prolific South American burglary crew that’s targeted NFL stars, a judge ruled Friday.
Brooklyn federal court Judge William Kuntz revoked bail for Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, and Juan Villar, 48, saying both posed a “substantial danger to numerous communities across America” after creating a “Super Bowl of criminal activity.”
“This is one Super Bowl these defendants will have to watch from the sidelines. This is one they will not watch,” the judge said, in a reference to Sunday’s matchup and allegations that involve burglaries of NFL players’ homes in the case.
Villar, a US-born Queens resident, was out on $500,000 bail for less than 24 hours after beefing up his bail application when the judge reversed the ruling. Prosecutors sought to detain the pair they claim worked with five crews linked to a ring that targeted Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Nezhinskiy, a Georgian national from North Bergen, New Jersey, had filed all paperwork necessary to be sprung on $1 million bail padded by his 78-year-old father’s life savings — but even the high dollar amount couldn’t persuade the judge, who called his father’s generosity “admirable.”
The judge repeatedly referenced “violence” allegedly caused by the pair despite the indictment not charging either defendant with violent crimes.
Nezhinskiy’s attorney, Todd Greenberg, pleaded with the judge to reconsider the decision after attorneys for both defendants seemed to think that conditions set at the arraignment were still good.
The attorney said any violence involving Nezhinskiy is “purely speculation” at this point — but the judge rejected his motion.
Both men have ties to Bryan Leandro Herrera Maldonado, described by prosecutors as a “prolific burglar” who committed at least 16 residential burglaries in the US in 2019 and 2020.
The feds say that Nezhinskiy and Villar received and sold stolen luxury goods, like high-end watches and jewelry, yanked by the South American gangs.
Nezhinskiy is linked to the burglary of Burrow’s $7.5 million mansion in Anderson Township, Ohio, in December, the feds claim.
New photos of the trio of Chilean migrants accused of raiding the star quarterback’s home show them flaunting the stolen loot, which federal prosecutions say includes Burrow’s watches, glasses and Louis Vuitton luggage.
The gang made off with roughly $300,000, according to the indictment.
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Nezhinskiy and Villar have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and receipt of stolen property. They face up to 10 years if convicted.
Their attorneys said that both clients would be interested in plea deals. They both plan to appeal the judge’s decision to revoke bail.
The judge set the trial date for August 4.
The FBI said Friday that they are seeking any potential victims of Big Apple General Buyers, the Diamond District store operated by Nezhinskiy and Villar, who believe that any property in possession of the merchants to contact them at diamonddistrict@fbi.gov.
