Expand / Collapse search
☰

Crime Files: Arizona men arrested in connection with a series of Paradise Valley jewelry burglaries

By
Updated  August 23, 2023 3:01pm MST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 10 Phoenix

PHOENIX - Court documents are revealing the extent of a series of burglaries involving jewelries in the Phoenix area that led to the arrest of two men.

The string of burglaries, according to the documents, began in October 2022, and the latest arrest happened on Aug. 17.

Here are the details on the case.

Who are the suspects?

Court documents identified three people whom investigators have connected to the burglaries: Eduard Matatov, John Nishke III, and a third person with the surname "Johns." Court documents variously listed Johns' first name as either "Chanel" or "Lechuga."

Matatov, according to the documents, was arrested on May 31, while Nishke was arrested on the night of Aug. 17.

What happened?

AZ men accused of stealing pricey jewelry

Officials say they have arrested two men in connection with a string of burglaries in Paradise Valley that led to the theft of more than $600,000 in jewelry.

Investigators detailed seven incidents, some involving burglary, in court documents:

  1. Oct. 19, 2022: Jewelry valued at about $48,150 reported stolen from a home near the area of 56th Street and Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley
  2. Oct. 21, 2022: Trespassing reported inside a home in a neighborhood on the 5600 block of Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley
  3. Oct. 23, 2022: Jewelry valued at $115,531 reported stolen from home in the same neighborhood as the incident on Oct. 21
  4. Nov. 4, 2022: Jewelry valued at about $200,000 reported stolen from the safe of a home along Huntress Drive, near the intersection of 56th Street and Lincoln Drive, in Paradise Valley
  5. Nov. 8, 2022: Trespasser reported in the backyard of two homes, in the same neighborhood as the incidents that happened on Oct. 21 and Oct. 23
  6. Nov. 10, 2022: Trespasser reported inside a home located in the same neighborhood as the incidents that happened on Oct. 21, Oct. 23, and Nov. 8

In all, the jewelry allegedly stolen, described in a statement by Paradise Valley Police as high-end, were valued in excess of $600,000.

Investigators say portions of the jewelry stolen from the Oct. 19, 2022 incident were located at local jewelry stores.

The jewelry, investigators allege, were sold to the stores by Johns, and Johns was allegedly given the jewelry by Matatov.

A search warrant was served on Matatov's phone, and investigators said pictures of items stolen from the Oct. 23 incident, as well as the serial number and model of the safe that was burglarized in the Nov. 4 incident, were found in text messages that were exchanged on Matatov's device. 

Eventually, court documents state that investigators obtained a search warrant for a phone that belonged to Nishke, and phone location data indicated that Nishke was in the area of the incident that happened on Oct. 19, Oct. 21, Oct. 23, and Nov. 4, at or near the time the incidents happened.

In addition, investigators state that cameras captured a man who appears to be Nishke in the area where the incidents on Oct. 19, Oct. 21, Oct. 23, and Nov. 4 happened.

What happens now for the suspects?

Eduard Matatov (left) and John Nishke III (right)

Eduard Matatov (left) and John Nishke III (right)

Court documents state that Matatov was arrested for allegedly trafficking stolen property.

The same court documents also state that Nishke is accused of 11 felonies and two misdemeanors. They include:

  • 2nd Degree Burglary (3 alleged counts)
  • Trafficking Stolen Property (3 alleged counts)
  • Theft (3 alleged counts)
  • 1st Degree Criminal Trespassing
  • 1st Degree Criminal Trespassing Involving Residential Structures
  • Misdemeanor 1st Degree Criminal Trespassing (2 alleged counts)

A judge has set a cash-only appearance bond of $100,000 for Nishke on Aug. 18. He is set to have a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28.