Redinel Dervishaj, Extortion, New York 2013

A federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, has convicted Redinel Dervishaj of Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy, attempted extortion, threatening/committing physical violence in furtherance of an extortion plan, and related charges involving brandishing firearms.

The charges arose out of Dervishaj’s schemes to extort three small business owners in Queens, New York, between May and November 2013.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Dervishaj and his co-defendants conspired to extort a Queens restaurant owner, demanding regular payments in exchange for so-called protection. The extortion began shortly after the victim opened a restaurant in Astoria when he was visited by Dervishaj and told that he had opened a business in ‘our neighborhood.’

The restaurant owner was required to pay Dervishaj $4,000 per month, and over the course of five months, each of the three defendants took turns collecting monthly payments from the victim, ultimately collecting $24,000 in so-called protection money.

Co-defendants Besnik Llakatura, a police officer with the New York City Police Department during the charged crimes, and Denis Nikolla previously pleaded guilty in this case and are awaiting sentencing.

When sentenced by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano, Dervishaj faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum of 57 years in prison.

This verdict is a result of the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New York Police Department.

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