By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — Two men convicted of threatening to torture their Greenwich Village landlord with household tools and sodomy were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison on Thursday.
Vasileios Giamagas, 36, and Ekkehart Schwarz, 72, the proprietors of a failed nightclub at 68 West 3rd Street were put behind bars for executing a mafia-inspired shake down against the manager of their landlord's company, who was tasked with trying to recover thousands in back rent.
The threats and demands occurred between Dec. 1, 2007 and March 1, 2009, according to prosecutors.
The two, along with a 6-foot, six-inch Georgia national who prosecutors claimed was the "enforcer," followed the manager, Niroo Yavari, around the city "day and night" taking photos of him and making threats, prosecutors said.
They were refusing to pay $267,000 in back rent and also attempted to get money from the manager through extortion.
A Manhattan jury convicted the three men of grand larceny robbery and other charges on Feb. 5. Giamagas and Schwarz were acquitted of kidnapping charges.
"If you don't sign this document the chef is going to f** you in the a** and it will change your life forever," Giamagas allegedly threatened Yavari.
On one particularly frightening occasion, the trio locked Yavari, an Iranian immigrant, in the room with them and tray of torture implements including a hammer, screwdriver, pliers, a can opener and other items. There was also a tarp on the ground that was meant to collect Yavari's blood if they decided to harm him, prosecutors said.
By the end of the incident, Yavari promised to waive their back rent and handed over several blank checks including one they immediately cashed for $25,000.
Prosecutors said Giamagas has been placed in solitary confinement at Rikers Island for threatening corrections officers.
Convicted enforcer Kakhaber Gogoladze is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
