A Kew Gardens jeweler was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn of extortion conspiracy on May 27 following a three-week trial.
Shlomo Patchiav, 45, who is also known as “Slava Fatkhiev,” and his unnamed co-defendant who remains at large, were found guilty of conspiring against Shehroz Tokhirov, of Kensington, Brooklyn, who they repeatedly threatened with violence if he failed to pay them after a $500,000 luxury watch deal fell through in June 2022. Tokhirov’s body was later found in an upstate residence in Ellenville, New York.
“Today’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for extorting a victim for money and threatening to hold him ‘hostage,’ and then covering up his connection to the victim after the victim’s murder by concealing his body,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella said following the guilty verdict.
As proven at trial, Patchiav and his co-conspirator engaged in the extortion conspiracy and threatened violence against the victim after the three men failed to reach an agreement in the luxury watch deal. Patchiav owned a wholesale jewelry and diamond business. In June 2022, Patchiav and his co-conspirator engaged in discussions with Tokhirov about the potential sale of several luxury watches for a half-million dollars. After the deal fell through, the threats of violence began…