שרעקליכע גניבה אין ווילי

Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY - A Brooklyn jeweler was kidnapped on New Year's Eve by two gun-toting thugs who forced him to drive to his warehouse, then grabbed more than $1 million worth of baubles, he told cops.

"I still fear for my family and myself. They [the cops] are still trying to get these guys," said Moshe Berkovitch.

The diamond and gold dealer was driving along Williamsburg Street and Wythe Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. when the thieves flagged him down and asked for directions to the Brooklyn Bridge.

He said didn't recognize them, but it seemed clear they knew exactly who he was.
"I wish I would know [how they knew me]," said Berkovitch, the president and founder of the upscale First Class Imports Inc.

As he gave directions to one of the men, the accomplice jumped into his car, brandishing a gun.

In an instant, both crooks were inside the car and holding a gun to Berkovitch's head, he said.

They ordered him to go to the headquarters of his jewelry importing company at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Once there, they looted his business, making two trips to the car to load up more than a million in jewelry, the sources said. Berkovitch didn't give cops a more precise estimate because he would need an exact figure for insurance purposes.

They then dropped off the stunned businessman on Clinton Avenue.

"I was very shocked. I'm in the business 31 years and I never had this experience," Berkovitch said.

The company moved its headquarters from the Diamond District in Manhattan to Brooklyn in 2005.

The relocation was made, in part, because of increased security at the Navy Yard, founder Solomon Berk told the trade magazine JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone.

Berkovitch said that there are video cameras near his office, but it's unclear if cops can recover images from the tapes.

The company specializes in 14- and 18-karat gold, as well as expensive white and yellow gold bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

Berkovitch said he now lives in terror.
"With these people you can't take chances," he said.

"Once you have something [like a gun] to your head, you can't take chances." [nypost]