Two suspects were arrested in New York City Tuesday amid the FBI’s probes into spade of burglaries at the homes of professional athletes. 

One of the suspects is said to have ties to the robbery of NFL quarterback Joe Burrow’s $7.5million mansion in December, according to ABC.

Burrow, the signal caller for the Cincinnati Bengals, had his Ohio home broken into at the end of last year amid a nationwide string of heists targeting athletes, including Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. 

Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, and Juan Villar, 48, have been charged with conspiracy to receive stolen property as part of an alleged fencing operation tied to an organized South American theft group.

They are accused of buying luxury items linked to the cross-country burglaries before selling them on from the Manhattan pawn shop. 

Two men have been arrested in connection to the burglaries of athletes, including Joe Burrow

Burrow moved into the property in Anderson Township, Ohio back in late 2023

Nezhinskiy was arrested Tuesday in New Jersey and Villar in Manhattan. Both suspects are due to appear in court in Downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday. 

‘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,’ said United States Attorney John Durham. 

Phone records and video surveillance linked Nezhinskiy to at least two members of a four-man burglary crew believed to be involved in the burglary of Burrow, according to the indictment. 

During Tuesday’s search of the property in Manhattan, authorities reportedly seized suspected stolen property, including high-end, luxury watches and jewelry, as well as large quantities of cash and marijuana. 

Kansas City Chiefs stars Kelce and Mahomes also had their Missouri homes burglarized in October. 

Luka Doncic had $30,000 worth of jewelry stolen prior to his recent trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, and other NBA players like the Milwaukee Bucks ‘ Bobby Portis and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Mike Conley have also seen their homes ransacked. 

However, it is unclear if the two arrests Tuesday were also linked to those particular robberies.

Burrow was the latest NFL star to be the victim of a burglary in the middle of a game in December. 

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City-area properties were burglarized in October

Hamilton County (Ohio) sheriffs confirmed the break-in in the suburb of Anderson Township, while Burrow was 1,000 miles away – facing the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Four Chilean nationals have already been arrested in connection with the burglary during a traffic stop in Ohio last month.

The men – identified as Alexander Chavez, Bastian Morales, Jordan Sanchez and Sergio Cabello – were reportedly taken into custody on January 10.

According to TMZ , the group – who cops reportedly claim were ‘illegally in the country or overstayed their permissions’ – were found with LSU and Bengals gear which is suspected to have been taken from Burrow.

The group was reportedly in possession of Husky automatic center punch tools, said to be used regularly by the ‘South American Theft Group’ to ‘break glass and enter into houses.’

According to reports at the time, a bedroom window was shattered at Burrow’s mansion.

It’s claimed that the suspects also had a phone, with cell site data placing it in the area of the Bengals star’s home.

According to TMZ, the men are facing four felony charges, including possessing criminal tools and participation in a criminal gang.

SI Swimsuit model Olivia Ponton (pictured) reported the burglary at Joe Burrow’s $7.5m home

Burrow had been in a relationship with Olivia Holzmacher (left) since his college days

Burrow previously said he felt ‘violated’ by the break-in, which was cloaked in mystery after it emerged that the 911 call was made by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Ponton, rather than the quarterback’s longtime partner Olivia Holzmacher.

Ponton – who boasts eight million followers on TikTok – is said to have told officers that she noticed ‘a shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked’ when she arrived at the property.

Burrow has been in a relationship with Holzmacher since his college days at Ohio State, with the pair first going public with their romance back in 2017.

Last year former Bengals cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones even claimed the couple were engaged, though neither party has ever confirmed the news.

Burrow and Holzmacher have not been seen in public together since the latter shared a photo of them in January 2024, sparking rumors that they may have separated.

When Ponton arrived at Burrow’s house and discovered that someone had broken in, she reportedly phoned her mother, Diane, who then called police.

Diane is quoted as saying on the call: ‘[Olivia] is wondering what she should do, if she should be hiding or if she should be going outside.’

Ponton could later be heard saying in a separate call: ‘Someone broke into my house… It’s like completely messed up.’

It is unclear why Ponton was at Burrow’s home, though documents from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office stated that she is ’employed by Mr. Burrow.’

The police report also added that she gave officers ‘a non-detailed itemization of what items were possibly missing.’