Pro-athletes home burglaries may be linked to Diamond District raid: Sources NBC New York [Video]

The FBI and NYPD raided a Diamond District business Tuesday that investigators say worked with a South American transnational theft group that has been targeting homes belonging to wealthy individuals across the country.

Investigators said they are looking into whether any suspects involved in recent burglaries of numerous star athletes’ homes are connected to the alleged fencing location. A “fencing” operation involves the buying and selling of stolen goods.

One man was arrested Tuesday morning on West 47^th Street near Sixth Avenue. Dozens of FBI agents and NYPD Major Case detectives searched the second-floor business, seizing dozens of high-end watches and other jewelry that was believed to be stolen. Large amounts of cash and marijuana were also taken by the feds and police.

A second man was taken into custody later in the day in New Jersey, officials familiar with the case said.

Prosecutors later identified the two men arrested as Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar, the …