A federal jury in Brooklyn has convicted a Queens man for his role in a violent extortion conspiracy that led to the discovery of a victim’s body in an Ellenville residence. Shlomo Patchiav, 45, also known as “Slava Fatkhiev,” was found guilty on Wednesday following a three-week trial. He now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

The case stems from a luxury watch deal that went wrong. Patchiav, who owned a wholesale jewelry and diamond business, conspired with an accomplice to extort Shehroz Tokhirov after a $500,000 deal for high-end timepieces fell through in June 2022.

According to evidence presented at trial, Tokhirov was last seen alive on June 25, 2022, in Brooklyn. Surveillance footage captured him withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash and signing over his Mercedes Benz SUV to Patchiav’s co-conspirator. Tokhirov vanished immediately following that meeting.

The investigation eventually led authorities to Ulster Heights Road, where rumors swirled of FBI agents looking around the woods rumored to be old mob ‘dumping ground.’ Eight months after his disappearance, Tokhirov’s body was recovered from behind a house. Key evidence admitted during the trial included cell phone location data, which placed both Patchiav and his co-conspirator in Ellenville on June 26, 2022 — the very day after Tokhirov was last seen.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. stated that the verdict holds Patchiav accountable for both the extortion and for "covering up his connection to the victim after the victim’s murder by concealing his body". FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. added that the conviction emphasizes the bureau's commitment to ensuring that violent intimidation and attempts to cover up crimes do not go unpunished.

While Patchiav awaits sentencing, his co-conspirator remains at large. That individual was intercepted by law enforcement at JFK International Airport in June 2022 while attempting to board a flight to the Republic of Georgia with over $26,000 in cash, but they managed to escape and remain at large.