Defendant Left the Country for Mauritius in 2017, Was Extradited Back in 2025
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the prison sentence of MICHEL PATRICK DESALLES, 56, to 20 years-to-life in state prison for choking his employer to death with zip ties in 2017. On June 4, 2026, DESALLES pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to one count of Murder in the Second Degree. DESALLES fled to Mauritius, his native country, immediately after the incident and was extradited back to the United States in 2025.
“The defendant went to great lengths to avoid accountability for this brutal murder,” said District Attorney Bragg. “His actions have caused Mr. Gholian’s family and loved ones lasting emotional damage, and I join with them in mourning their loss. It is never too late to pursue accountability for murder victims, and I thank our team for bringing this matter to its conclusion.”
As admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea, DESALLES worked in a jewelry store in Tribeca. On the morning of February 14, 2017, DESALLES attacked his 51-year-old boss Omid Gholian and tied two zip ties tightly around his neck.
Approximately three hours later DESALLES purchased a plane ticket to Mauritius, his native country and flew out of JFK airport that evening.
The victim’s family members and police went to the store the next day, which they found locked. Police used a key provided by the family to enter the store, where they found the victim in the back dead with the zip ties around his neck. The victim also sustained bruising to his eye and a gash on his head.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant D.A.’s Julie Nobel and Elaine Ortyl under the supervision of Siobhan Carty (Chief of Trial Bureau 80) and Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division).
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Port Louis, and the U.S. Marshals Service worked with the Office of the Attorney General of Mauritius and the Mauritian Police Force to secure DESALLES’ arrest and extradition. The District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the extradition efforts.
Defendant Information:
MICHEL PATRICK DESALLES
Convicted:
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
Sentenced:
- 20 years-to-life