Defendants Collected $24,000 of “Protection” Money During a Five-Month Period
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U.S.
Attorney’s OfficeDecember 03, 2013
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Eastern District of New York(718) 254-7000
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A three-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in
Brooklyn, New York, charging Redinel Dervishaj, Besnik Llakatura, and Denis
Nikolla with Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy, attempted Hobbs Act extortion, and
brandishing a firearm in relation to the extortion. The charges arose from the
defendants’ extortion of money from a Queens County restaurant owner. Llakatura
was at the time of the alleged offenses a police officer with the New York City
Police Department (NYPD), assigned to the 120th Precinct in Staten Island, New
York. He was suspended without pay upon his arrest. The defendants are
scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of New York before United States Magistrate Judge Joan
Azrack.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States
Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant
Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office
(FBI); and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, NYPD.
“The defendants told their victims they offered 'protection,' but
in reality, they peddled fear and intimidation through the Albanian
community—their community—of Queens,” stated United States Attorney Lynch.
“When one victim turned to law enforcement for help, he was betrayed again by a
corrupt officer on the take, who turned his back on his badge, his oath, and
his friend in exchange for extortion money in his pocket.” Ms. Lynch expressed
her thanks to members of the Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which includes agents
of the FBI and detectives of the NYPD, which led the investigation, as well as
the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Division for its cooperation and assistance in the
investigation.
“By creating a climate of fear, the defendants allegedly coerced
an innocent restaurant owner into paying for so-called protective services. The
victim was further betrayed when seeking the assistance of Besnik Llakatura, an
NYPD officer whose sinister intentions were shrouded by his badge of honor. But
Llakatura didn’t serve his community with honor; he, instead, abused his powers
to the detriment of the public trust. He remains an exception to those law
enforcement officers who work selflessly to weed out crime and corruption in
their communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos.
“Llakatura is alleged to have exploited his friendship and shared
heritage in order to help the defendants extort a restaurateur. Once it was
reported, the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau and the Department’s Organized Crime
Investigations Division thoroughly responded, resulting in the charges being
announced today,” Commissioner Kelly said.
According to the indictment and court filings, Dervishaj,
Llakatura, and Nikolla demanded monthly payments from a Queens restaurant owner
in exchange for “protection,” repeatedly using threats and intimidation to
ensure his compliance. The scheme 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” and, as a result, “you have to pay us.”
The restaurant owner, who understood that he was targeted because he, like the
defendants, is of Albanian descent, sought help from his friend Llakatura.
Unbeknownst to him, Llakatura, an NYPD officer on Staten Island since 2006, was
conspiring with Dervishaj in the extortion. Llakatura discouraged the
restaurant owner from going to the police and sought to leverage his position
to persuade the victim that he had no choice but to make the demanded payments.
When the victim resisted, he was threatened with physical violence and chased
at gunpoint down the street in Queens by Nikolla.
Court-authorized wiretaps of the defendants’ telephones uncovered
detailed evidence of their efforts to maintain control over businesses in the
neighborhood through fear, intimidation, and violence. In one intercepted call,
Llakatura joked about how he “taxes” local businesses. In another, Nikolla
described to Dervishaj how he had grabbed another victim “by the neck” because
he had told Nikolla that he only had $2,000 and could not pay more. (The
referenced language from the intercepted calls is based on draft translations
from Albanian.)
Over the course of five months, each of the three defendants took
turns collecting monthly payments from the Astoria restaurant owner, ultimately
collecting $24,000 in so-called protection money.
The charges announced today are merely allegations, and the
defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United
States Attorneys Nadia Shihata and M. Kristin Mace.
Defendants:
Redinel Dervishaj, a/k/a “Redi”
Age: 37
Queens, New York
Age: 37
Queens, New York
Besnik Llakatura, a/k/a “Besi” and “Nick”
Age: 34
Staten Island, New York
Age: 34
Staten Island, New York
Denis Nikolla
Age: 33
Brooklyn, New York
Age: 33
Brooklyn, New York