Fake Hasidic diamond heist has a new twist: Thief offers to bribe the judge

(CBS) - Two New York Diamond District wholesalers were already awaiting sentencing for hiring men to dress up as Hasidic Jews and rob their store at gunpoint in an insurance fraud. That's when one of them reportedly asked a bail bondsman if they could bribe their way out of trouble.

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Guess where they're heading now - and it's not Disney World.

According to the New York Post, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice threw Atul Shah and Mahaveer Kankariya back in jail last week after one of them asked, "Is there any way I can bribe the judge?"

Prior to the reported blab, both men were allowed to remain free pending sentencing.

Shah, 49 and Kankariya, 43, were charged Feb. 23 with grand larceny, insurance fraud and falsifying business records in connection with the bogus gunpoint robbery at their Midtown jewelry store on New Year's Eve 2008.

Investigators became suspicious after the robbery when they discovered that the two owners had taken out a new insurance policy just before the heist.

Both men could face up to 15 years when sentenced April 29.

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February 24, 2010 - Hasidic Diamond Heist Wasn't Kosher: Not Real Thieves, Not Even Jewish