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When Joe Burrow returned from the Cincinnati Bengals ' away game against the Dallas Cowboys late in the 2024 season, he reported that multiple items had been stolen during a burglary at his house. Since then, not all the perpetrators have been identified, but pawn shop owner Dimitriy Nezhinsky has pleaded guilty to his role in the crime.
Nezhinsky, 43, owns a pawn shop in New York City, but has been found guilty of running a "black market pipeline" of stolen luxury items, according to ESPN. He has since pleaded guilty to buying and selling multiple items he knew were stolen, including those that belonged to Burrow.
Nezhinsky pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive stolen property, per ESPN. If prosecuted, he faces up to five years in prison and potential deportation. Nezhinsky is a legal citizen of the United States, but was born and raised in the country of Georgia.
The New York City pawn shop is also co-owned by Juan Villar, who also pleaded guilty to the same charges. Villar's potential punishments were not made public, but he is expected to face similar consequences to those of his business partner.
Nezhinsky and Villar have owned and operated the pawn shop together since 2020. They have been in business with a "national burglary crew" for years, though it is unclear exactly when that venture began. Police believe the crew that robbed Burrow is a part of a national chain that targets wealthy athletes when they are playing away games.
Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Regardless of the traumatic event, Burrow is already prepared to return for his sixth season with the Bengals. Cincinnati begins training camp on July 23, with its first preseason game on Aug. 7.
Burrow is coming off the best statistical season of his career, throwing for a career-high 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2024. Burrow has now thrown 30 or more touchdowns in three of his last four seasons, with the lone exception being an injury-shortened 2023 campaign.
Despite another slow start to the year, the Bengals ended the season on a five-game win streak to fall just short of the playoffs. With consecutive 9-8 seasons, Cincinnati has not made the playoffs since 2022, when they ended the year with a controversial loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
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