Yiddish Speaking Nigerian Jumps Bail In Massive Mortgage Scheme

Real estate broker John Star went on the lam last month, a week after prosecutors in Brooklyn offered to let him plead guilty in exchange for 15 years in jail. Now the feds are likely to offer nothing - or, as Star might say, bupkis.

Yiddish-speaking Nigerian national jumps bail after being charged in massive mortgage fraud scheme
BY JOHN MARZULLI • DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The feds are hunting this Yiddish-speaking Nigerian national named John Star who jumped bail after he was charged in a massive mortgage scam.

Now that's chutzpah.

A Yiddish-speaking Nigerian national has jumped bail after being charged in a massive mortgage fraud scheme.

Real estate broker John Star went on the lam last month, a week after prosecutors in Brooklyn offered to let him plead guilty in exchange for 15 years in jail. Now the feds are likely to offer nothing - or, as Star might say, bupkis.

A bench warrant has been issued. Star was free on a $200,000 bond secured with a home in Mount Vernon, Westchester County. He surrendered his Nigerian passport when he was arrested April 6 and is believed to be in the U.S.

"Rather than us having to expend valuable resources looking for him, Mr. Star should be a mensch and turn himself in," said FBI spokesman James Margolin.

Star, 39, learned Yiddish while growing up in Switzerland with Orthodox Jewish adoptive parents. He moved easily in Orthodox real estate sources and hatched a scheme that bilked lenders of $10 million, officials said.

He and his accomplices submitted false loan applications that said properties were being purchased by credit-worthy buyers, authorities charged. Shortly after pocketing the loans, the defendants stopped making payments on the mortgages.Star's lawyer, Anthony Mamo, declined to comment yesterday.

Anyone with information about Star is asked to call a confidential tip line: (212) 384-5000.

[Hat Tip: WoolSilkCotton.]

Comments

[alternative childcare]

I believe both he and Puello are fans of FailedMessiah's facebook page :)

[Bill]

A major fraudsters from Brooklyn who speaks Yiddish and had an Orthodox rearing.

We all know that's code for "haredi"....

Might as well come right out and say it!

:-)

[WoolSilkCotton]

Comments from Daily News readers:

he beat the hasids at there own game

this guy gets bail for a mortgage fraud case, backed by a house mortgage?

Send him an e-mail telling him that he won the Nigerian national lottery, but he first must send $1 million CASH to my house as 'good faith' money!!

He should be easy to find in any Jewish neighborhood

Perhaps he'll flee to Israel

So you mean to tell me that email i got from that jewish orphanage in nigeria was a scam?

[Adam Neira]

How bizarre. The juxtaposition of language and ethnicity in this case is fasinating. No matter what our religious/linguistic makeup we still must obey any fair law of the land. There are many crooks atracted to the buzzing blue light of the financial world.

[Forty Eighter]

How come he was let out on bail? Weren't they afraid he would run to Israel under law of return?

[nachos]

Dr. Moe:

Was this guy your mortgage broker?

[WoolSilkCotton]

Nachos- LOL!

[WoolSilkCotton]

Pidyun Shvuim for this fellow Yid! Where is our love for our brother? Innocent until proven guilty!
Where do I send a check? When is the Chabad fundraiser for him?

[Bill]

"When is the Chabad fundraiser for him?" - Wool.

He's wearing a necktie.

Obviously not Chabad.

[Maskil]

Bill,

Actually this doesn't mean he's Haredi at all. In Holland, Switzerland and Belgium Yiddish is the ligua franca between Jews no matter how secular. I took a semester with a girl from Holland who was fluent in Yiddish and I don't think she even heard kiddush or entered a shul in her life. She explained that this is just how it is over there. You have to learn your language, you have to learn German and English in school, but among Jews everyone still speaks Yiddish. I know it sounds strange but over time I saw how true it was, and I don't mean Haredi (250 word vocabulary) Yiddish, I mean kitchen Yiddish - every obscure word you can find in every day speech. Based on percentages one can assume that this Nigerian printz may have been raised frum but he ain't no Haredi. Dervaileh ober, er kent kloimersht di mama loshon gantz gut.

[Abracadabra]

Well, with his fluent Yiddish he'll fit right in at Club Fed in Ottisville.

I wonder if he'll daven with the Sfard minyan or the Ashkenaz one...

[Bill]

Maskil,

A non-religious girl from holland who speaks an excellet yiddish?

That's so hot!

I don't mean to pry, but is there anything else about this scenario that you can share?

[Maskil]

Bill,

I can't share more. But yes, hot, smoking hot!