NFL player’s home targeted in mysterious burglary
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kenneth L. Parker, stated that the investigation into the burglary remains ongoing, suggesting that the individuals involved may be part of a larger network of South American Theft Groups operating in the district and beyond. According to an FBI affidavit accompanying a criminal complaint filed on Monday, photos found on a suspect’s phone depicted stolen items from the burglary, as well as the suspects posing with another individual. While court documents did not explicitly name NFL player Joe Burrow as the victim, he was referred to as “J.B., an NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals,” a common practice in criminal complaints. Burrow confirmed that his home had been broken into, expressing feeling violated and concerned about the breach of his privacy.
The burglary, reported by a homeowner associate on December 9th around 8:14 p.m., resulted in the theft of over $300,000 worth of items such as luggage, glasses, wristwatches, and jewelry, as detailed in the FBI affidavit. Investigative efforts, including the use of trail cameras and license plate readers, led to the identification of a suspicious vehicle linked to the crime. The vehicle was later found abandoned in Florida. Subsequent leads from cellphone data pinpointed the suspects to a motel in Fairborn, Ohio, where they were apprehended by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on January 10th.
Three men, including Cabello and Morales, who were not authorized to be in the country, now face federal charges related to the burglary. Additionally, a fourth individual faces state charges in connection to the incident. The FBI affidavit revealed that the suspects were linked to a larger criminal operation, with two individuals in New York charged with acting as “fences” for stolen goods. Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar were accused of conspiracy to receive stolen property and were reportedly involved in a fencing operation, buying and selling stolen items. Prosecutors disclosed that stolen goods were found in their pawn shop in Manhattan and in storage units in New Jersey. Nezhinskiy and Villar pleaded not guilty in federal court in Brooklyn.
Maffei approximated the worth of the stolen items discovered in the storage units to be around $1.5 million, with a potential total evaluation of up to $5 million once all is accounted for. Nezhinskiy’s legal representative, Todd Greenberg, expressed contentment to the media outside the courtroom upon the judge’s decision to set a bond, albeit under the condition that they must still secure liens and Nezhinskiy was not expected to be released on Wednesday. “This marks merely the initial phase of the case, as we are well aware,” Greenberg remarked. “We eagerly anticipate examining the evidence and proceeding accordingly, steadfast in our commitment to vigorously tackle the case.”
