A Queens jeweler who reportedly supplied jewelry for the movie Uncut Gems has been charged with hate crimes after prosecutors say he chased two Black men through his neighborhood and fired a gun at their car. Yosef, 41, who also goes by Joe Avianne and runs the Midtown Manhattan jewelry store Avianne and Co., is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the incident happened Saturday, June 6, at about 7:25 PM near 73rd Avenue and Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica. Prosecutors allege Yosef followed a Chevy Tahoe through the neighborhood in his Dodge Durango and fired a shot at the two men inside. The Tahoe’s driver told police they had been followed and shot at, and officers stopped Yosef shortly afterward. Police say they recovered a loaded .357 revolver with one spent shell casing.
The DA described him as a vigilante who was trying to clear his neighborhood of the two men. Prosecutors say he told officers he had been chasing the men out of the area and was only trying to scare them. According to a criminal complaint reported by the New York Daily News, he also said the men had been scouting the neighborhood all day.
He was arraigned on June 7 on charges including attempted murder in the second degree as a hate crime, attempted assault in the first degree as a hate crime, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. A judge set bail at $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash, and he is due back in court on September 15. If convicted, he faces 8 to 25 years in prison, the DA’s office says.
Family members pushed back on the hate crime label. A sister in law told the Daily News that his wife is Black, that they have four children together and that the claims are nonsense. Neighbors and relatives also told the paper he had been on high alert since his Midtown store was robbed last year.
A criminal complaint is an accusation, not proof of guilt.
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