Fugitive Extradited to NY for 2017 Murder of Orthodox Jewish Jeweler in Tribeca, Prosecutors Announce

By: Fern Sidman

After more than eight years on the run, the man accused of murdering an Orthodox Jewish jeweler in his Lower Manhattan shop has been extradited to the United States and formally charged with second-degree murder. As reported by VIN News on Tuesday, 54-year-old Michel Patrick Desalles, a former employee of the victim, is now in NYPD custody after evading justice for nearly a decade.

According to details released by Manhattan prosecutors on Monday, Desalles is accused of the cold-blooded slaying of Omid Gholian, 43, a respected Orthodox Jewish businessman from Brooklyn’s Marine Park neighborhood and a member of the Iranian Jewish community. The murder took place inside Gholian’s Tribeca store, World of Gold N Diamond, located at the intersection of Church and Duane Streets, on February 14, 2017 — a date that would mark a gruesome tragedy for Gholian’s family and community.

As VIN News reported, Gholian’s family became alarmed after losing contact with him for several days. His brother eventually filed a missing persons report with the NYPD’s 1st Precinct, and officers later accompanied the family to forcibly enter the locked store. What they discovered was a scene of horror: Gholian’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, concealed in the back room of the shop. He had been brutally beaten and choked with zip ties, which were cinched so tightly around his neck that the city’s medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be “compression of the neck.” The ruling confirmed the case as a homicide.

Desalles, who was working for Gholian at the time, allegedly carried out the murder in the morning and then executed a swift escape plan. As prosecutors explained, the accused killer left the crime scene, traveled to John F. Kennedy International Airport, and boarded a flight that same evening to Mauritius, a remote island nation in the Indian Ocean — where he remained outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement for years.

The case quickly became one of the more frustrating cold cases in recent New York criminal history, with investigators hitting numerous jurisdictional and logistical roadblocks in their pursuit of Desalles. But, as the VIN News report noted, a major breakthrough came after a long and complex effort involving several government agencies and international partners.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Port Louis, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Office of the Attorney General of Mauritius, and Mauritian police all played pivotal roles in locating and ultimately detaining Desalles. That coordinated effort culminated in Desalles’ extradition to New York on Friday, ending a years-long international manhunt.

At his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, Desalles was formally charged with second-degree murder. Due to the severity of the crime and his proven flight risk, the presiding judge ordered that he be held without bail. He is scheduled to return to court on August 11.

VIN News spoke with members of the Brooklyn Iranian Jewish community who expressed a complex mix of sorrow, relief, and enduring grief. “This has been an open wound for our community,” one community elder stated. “Omid was a kind, honest man. He built his life through hard work and devotion to his family and faith. The fact that he died at the hands of someone he trusted is heartbreaking.”

Omid Gholian’s murder was not just a personal tragedy — it was a jarring reminder of how even the most respected and rooted members of the community can become victims of senseless violence. As VIN News noted in its earlier reporting, Gholian had worked tirelessly to build his business and maintain strong ties to both the Jewish and local Tribeca communities. He was remembered as a family man who honored Jewish traditions, extended kindness to his employees, and gave back to those in need.

The extradition of Desalles marks a rare but crucial step in delivering long-delayed justice. “This is about more than one man facing consequences,” a source familiar with the case told VIN News. “It’s about sending a message that no matter how far you run, the law will eventually catch up to you — especially when innocent lives are taken so brutally.”

As New York City prosecutors prepare for a high-profile trial, Gholian’s loved ones and community continue to grapple with the loss. For them, justice delayed is still justice, and the hope remains that Omid’s memory will not only be honored in court but safeguarded for generations to come.