Manhattan Fencing Operation Leader Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Receive Stolen Property

Strategic Insights -

Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, the leader of a large-scale fencing operation in Manhattan's Diamond District, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to receive stolen property that had been transported in interstate commerce. The operation serviced South American theft groups that committed burglaries nationwide.

Key Takeaways:

  • The defendant, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, operated a black-market pipeline that bought stolen luxury goods from organized theft crews targeting homes and businesses.
  • Nezhinskiy and his co-defendant, Juan Villar, regularly served as "fences" for South American Theft Groups, purchasing stolen property for cash and providing an essential market for the stolen goods.
  • The operation conspired with South American Theft Groups to receive and purchase stolen property, including jewelry, watches, handbags, and assorted luxury items, between approximately 2020 and 2025.
  • Evidence linked Nezhinskiy and Villar to at least two dozen residential or commercial burglaries across the United States between 2019 and 2025.
  • Undercover operations conducted by law enforcement, including a detective who made seven controlled sales of purported stolen property to Nezhinskiy or Villar, recovered large quantities of suspected stolen property and cash.
  • Law enforcement seized dozens of high-end watches and jewelry, as well as large quantities of cash and marijuana, from the defendants' business location and storage units.

Statistics:

  • The operation conspired to receive and purchase stolen property valued at over $2,500,000.
  • Between 2019 and 2025, Nezhinskiy and Villar were linked to at least two dozen residential or commercial burglaries across the United States.
  • Seven controlled sales of purported stolen property were conducted by law enforcement to Nezhinskiy or Villar between October 2022 and January 2024.
  • Large quantities of cash, marijuana, and suspected stolen property were recovered from the defendants' business location and storage units.

Sources:

  • United States District Judge William F. Kuntz (Court proceedings)
  • Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) (Statement)
  • Court filings and statements from Dimitriy Nezhinskiy's guilty plea
  • New York Daily News and other local news sources (Reporting on the operation)