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Head of international burglary crew requests move to hospital

Photo: Police car beverly hills by A1000 – Flickr CC BY-SA 3.0

Updated: August 15, 2019

The jailed leader of an international burglary crew who has allegedly been committing burglaries for over 20 years has asked a federal judge to move him to a hospital so he can receive mental health treatment.

In October 2018, Damir Pejcinovic, 44, of Manhattan, was indicted on multiple charges in connection with a string of burglaries and attempted burglaries in the U.S. and Europe between 2006 and 2017.

The Pejcinovic Enterprise

According to federal prosecutors, Pejcinovic, also known as “Damian” and “Coco”, was the leader of an international burglary crew that mainly targeted jewelry stores and banks.

Authorities have dubbed the crew “the Pejcinovic Enterprise”.

The other members of the crew are Gzimi Bojkovic, aka “Jimmy”, 36, of Staten Island, Adrian Fiseku, 35, of Staten Island, and Elvis Cirikovic, aka “Gorilla”, 35 of Queens. Bojkovic is Pejcinovic’s brother-in-law and allegedly was his right-hand man.

The indictment lists 16 burglaries and attempted burglaries including the burglary of a jewelry wholesaler in Manhattan on New Years Eve 2016. The thieves stole more than $3 million in jewelry, and the incident was captured on surveillance video.

The crew used power tools and sledgehammers to break into buildings, stores, and safes. They disabled security systems by cutting telephone lines, using cellphone jammers, and cutting off power to buildings.

Pejcinovic allegedly selected the targets and planned how the jobs would be carried out. He would assign members to a particular job based on their skill set.

Pejcinovic used his laptop to research alarm systems, police scanner frequencies, safes, locks, and industrial drills.

He used his cellphone to give instructions without stepping into the locations.

Beverly Hills heist

According to prosecutors, Pejcinovic pled guilty to burglary in 1998 after he was caught with a lineman’s handset outside of a Beverly Hills jewelry store. He was apparently trying to determine which phone line was being used to communicate with the security alarm company.

Authorities found blueprints to a jewelry store when they executed a search warrant at his home in October 2018.

Pejcinovic requests move to hospital

Pejcinovic is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn. 

On June 24, he mailed a handwritten letter to U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero stating that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia 20 years ago and that he stopped taking medication to start a family. Pejcinovic says he is suffering in jail and he belongs in a hospital where he can receive treatment.

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and an impaired ability to function.

Judge Marrero directed the government to respond by July 19.

Pejcinovic requests competency evaluation

On August 5, Pejcinovic mailed another letter to Judge Marrero claiming that he does not fully understand the criminal proceedings against him and requesting a competency to stand trial evaluation.

Pejcinovic’s codefendants are all out on bail.

He is currently undergoing removal proceedings.

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