Chabad Rallies Tonight For Convicted Felon

"Him sitting in prison will not help anybody pay their bills. We have a moral duty to help him reunite with his family speedily. No children deserve to grow up without a father, especially with such young children, and an oldest child who sacrificed himself for Jews in Eretz Yisroel, losing his arm in Gaza."

"[Chabad] U.S. Army Chaplain (Col.) Jacob Goldstein will be delivering remarks via mobile phone from his current station near the Mexican border."

"Ezagui in Prison Won't Help"

A rally in support of a guilty developer Eliyahu Ezagui will be taking place tonight in Crown Heights. Rabbi Yossi Jacobson tells COLlive.com: "Him sitting in prison won't pay bills."

By COLlive

A rally in support of a developer found guilty on bank fraud will be taking place today, Wednesday, in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood.

Supporters of Eliyahu Ezagui are calling on the community to attend the gathering at Lubavitcher Yeshiva hall on Crown St. corner Albany Ave. at 9:00pm.

"Eliyahu is facing the prospects of a Federal jail sentence as long as 15 years for bank mortgage fraud," a poster for the evening read.

"His lawyer has spent hundreds of hours on his case and is owed over $300,000.00... His lawyer is in the process of foreclosing on the home of his brother Shlomo who put up his house as collateral to guarantee the fee."

Ezagui was said to entice local Lubavitch families into buying homes at 770 Lefferts Avenue and 613 East New York Avenue but never turned over the deeds.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson, who will be the main speaker at the rally, told COLlive.com: "Him sitting in prison will not help anybody pay their bills. We have a moral duty to help him reunite with his family speedily."

Jacobson, Rabbi of Congregation Bais Shmuel in Crown Heights, added: "No children deserve to grow up without a father, especially with such young children, and an oldest child who sacrificed himself for Jews in Eretz Yisroel, losing his arm in Gaza."

Other expected speakers are member of Badatz Crown Heights Rabbi Yaacov Schwei and local Mashpiim Rabbi Pinyeh Korf and Rabbi Shlomo Majesky.

U.S. Army Chaplain (Col.) Jacob Goldstein will be delivering remarks via mobile phone from his current station near the Mexican border.

Donate online at EzaguiCase.com or mail to CHJCC General Pidyon Shevuim Fund 392 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 or call Musia at CHJCC 718-771-9000 ext 0

Comments

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

"Eliyahu is facing the prospects of a Federal jail sentence as long as 15 years for bank mortgage fraud,"

Not only that the antisemitic government is discriminating against Jews, now they are discriminating against Chabbad , how else you explain that this clown is going down for 15 years while the snag Leib Pinter (Artscroll author and Tropper's buddy) gets only 8 years

[harold]

"His lawyer has spent hundreds of hours on his case and is owed over $300,000.00

Just what the heck are the lawyers doing in those hundreds of hours? He is in jail and court is not in session? I know some prep-time is required before trial, but this sounds excessive. Is this typical as to what people pay who commit crimes? Is he being taken to the cleaners? I mean $300,000 - give me a break! If someone gets a court appointed lawyer, is it the taxpayer who would be paying the big bucks for each miscreant out there?

[Bartley Kulp]

Harold, it is not just the lawyer who is working. He has to also use or hire in a temp capacity other manpower for the case. Legal secretaries paralegals a second lawyer to go into trial with him. None of which work for cheap.
$300 grande for hundreds of hours of work is not an expensive price tag.A bigger question might be though is why money is not being raised for the victims of his fraud.

Heck, that might be the best way to reduce is sentencing. Sentencing guidelines take into account the damage that was done by the crime.

Any rate this new rally behind our hucksters and criminals fetish that we are witnessing is bizzar.

[Bartley Kulp]

Oh I forgot to address another of Harold's issues. Yes even the wealthy have the right to a public defender. However one is better off with a private attorney.

Many criminal lawyers start off as public defenders or prosecutors until they have enough field experience.

Yes, a lot of money is spent by the taxpayer in order to defend criminals. Although government attorneys do not make a fraction of what successful private attorneys do. Nor do those in the paralegal category.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Harold, criminal lawyers are the most expensive of all the branches of the legal profession.

A day in court is about $20,000, because of prep time, travel, bringing assistants, etc.

Hourly rates are $400 and up. Expert witnesses, forensic accountants, etc. are even more expensive per hour.

Spending $300,000 on a criminal case is not unusual. That's another reason why settling without a trial is a good idea.

As far as public defenders go- you get what you pay for. Would you go to the free medical clinic at Downstate? (I've worked there). If you have no other way to get a doctor, then yes. Otherwise, you don't go with with public doctor or the public defender.

[Streimel Shmuley]

Nebech, we are in Galus!

[rabbidw]

You get what you pay for. But he is not paying. He is asking us to pay. I quote the Heiliger Rebbe Berreta: "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
And if keeping this slime in jail deters another slimeball from doing the same thing, it is well worth it. Should we let him out so he can pay his bills by scamming other people?
And why aren't they rallying and raising funds for Jonathan Pollard?

[Alter Kocker]

What the hell is it with our people supporting scum like this. He stole from banks and his fellow Jews and just because he is frum, and has reproduced copiously, the courts should forgive him? His attorneys should work for nothing? He is a thieving bastard and deserves the prison term. May they shave his beard and payess, and cast him down with the sodomites.

LET HIM ROT!

[WoolSilkCotton]

++He is asking us to pay++

Those who are stupid enough to contribute are getting exactly what they deserve. Their community is being turned into a haven for con artists and thieves.
Let the people of Crown Heights deal with the eventual consequences.

Shluchim are no longer as eager to bring baal habatim from their suburban congregations in to visit CH. How do you explain the Moshiach banners and the Modesty Squad posters to nonreligious Jewish suburbanites who come to visit CH?

The economic impact of the loss of business and contributions from nonreligious Jews to CH is already being felt.

Wait until nonreligious Jews start asking their Chabad rabbis about this crook, and about other Chabad crooks. The idiotic explanations you find on crownheights.info and chabad.info will only make shluchim look like fools.

[steve]

A world gone insane.

[effie]

As far as public defenders go- you get what you pay for.

Hey! Where do you think most of these big bucks successful private attys come from? The public defenders office.

I always laugh at the Scott Peterson case because his parents paid big bucks to hire a private atty for his habeas corpus writ. The state would have appointed the same atty for free.

[A E ANDERSON]

I wonder if it's appropriate for the US Army chaplain, Rabbi Goldstein, to be extending his support on a public issue whilst being identified as a serving member of the armed forces. Aren't there regulations about this sort of thing?

[justice seeker]

I have 2500 Iranian Rials I will donate to the cause. After the exchange fee, Chabad will owe the bank more than the Rials are worth...which would be the only money the bank might ever get back.

[Isa]

let them keep doing rallys for scum like this...

The effect will be like this... see first 'homeless' person on the street panhandling, one might give a few bucks...

See a whole crowd of panhandlers, and see the fakers with crutches or in wheelchairs.. ignore the whole stinking lot.

[harold]

I understand that good legal representation doesn't come cheap. But I would assume someone really good with lots of experience behind him would make extremely efficient use of his time and would not require so much prep time. How many times has this bum been to court to have racked up such a huge bill? I assume that every time he comes anywhere near a court Mr. Rosenberg would have a post here at FM with his ugly mug. I don't remember his face here to often associated with a court date.

He may be guilty as sin, but the lawyers appear to be bleeding this country dry. Aren't lots of people complaining that one of the problems with health care is that lack of tort reform?

I won’t forget, years ago I hired an attorney to give some advice on estate planning for my mother. I think he was charging $350/hr. I called up once to find out if they sent out the bill yet. When I got the bill I noticed that I was charged $50 for that phone call as 10 minutes of consulting (their minimum billing unit)!!

[Mr. Apikoros]

I have some old Argentinian pesos from the late 1970's which were virtually worthless then, and even more worthless now. Probably worth even less than an Iranian rial.

I'd be happy to donate them to the cause. These crooked poor excuses for Jews are just as worthless as my old pesos.

[What kind of goyishe name is Harold?]

I think he is my daddy. Please let him come home. I will tell you where he hid all the money. Did I mention that I have autism?

[Barry]

Why is it these crooks cry after they commit the crimes. Everyone gives them a pass, the Kindala need a father, etc. Where was the fathers thought process before he commited fraud? Didn't he worry about his children then, or was his scheme so fool proof to preclude him from being caught?
Why aren't the folks using this for ANOTHER teachable moment? Crime does not pay, and it is part of the 10 commandments. Do they have a different Torah than we do.

[seymour]

did they hold a rally for the people who lost money on his scam?

I would guess not.

again even with the rally they never mention that he did a crime. It seems that the frum do not consider stealing a crime.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

These Frum fuckers play the "innocent child card" every time they are convicted in a US Bais Dean after given every oppurtuinty to and benifit of the doubt to find them innocent of all charges.

When they are stealing, embezzeling, evading taxes, lying, cheating laughing to the bank and vacationing at the finest of resorts stolen gelt can by while fressing the finest of koosha gut busting meals there is no mention whatsoever of bringing up innnocent yiddisheh children in a home with ganefs and apoykorisim for parents that piss on the Torah and shit on the 10 Commandments.

Moshiach, Moshiach, Moshiach....come out, come out wherever you are!

[Meandering]

Could someone please explain to these "rabbis" - Rabbi Jacobson et al - that they are publicly known as teachers of Torah, in real life and on the internet.

So why the bloddy hell are they defending fraud?

Do they teach that in their classes?

If you teach Torah, surely you shouldn't be involving yourself in all of this, on such a public level.

Harold: you are so funny. You made me laugh. Thankyou.

And whoever wrote the World is Insane: yes you are right. Totally insane.

[A E ANDERSON]

Ezagui was said to entice local Lubavitch families into buying homes at 770 Lefferts Avenue and 613 East New York Avenue but never turned over the deeds.

Ezagui wasn't the only one. Another guy built a whole shikun development on Lefferts years before Ezagui, filled it up with renters on vague promises to apply rent to the purchase price, having no condo subdivision in place, or even a certificate of occupancy at the time of rental. The handshake promises to apply years of rent to the purchase suddenly disappeared when marketable title to the units eventually became available. This is how one Habad developer fleeced his own yeshiva classmate(s)!

[harold]

Ezagui wasn't the only one

To quote P.T. Barnum "There's a sucker born every minute". How true!

[Chaim Ben Dovid]

Why is Army Chaplain Goldstein delivering remarks on behalf of the criminal?

Isn't it illegal for him to deliver a political message while identifying with the US Army?

[Mel]

lets call it as it is

to me it sounds like the "investors" where in it with him. When the going was good they where happy, the minute it went sour they turned on him, when all he did was with their full cooperation and knowledge. So to the greater community, consider that, and therefore, it's a shame they lost their house ( if they did) and it's a shame he should get punished worse than them when they where all in it together

[A E ANDERSON]

Rabbi Colonel Goldstein would do well to read Department of Defense DIRECTIVE NUMBER 1344.10 http://www.dod.gov/dodgc/defense_ethics/ethics_regulation/1344-10.html (and related directives concerning wearing of uniforms) before addressing this group tonight.

He would have some protection, I would think, as the Rubashkin case is not a partisan political matter. Still, it doesn't seem the appropriate thing to do (appear in uniform or promote his military connection without a disclaimer).

[Alter Kocker]

Ezagui looks nice and round; the boys in the shower are going to just love him. Note to Elyahu: get plenty of Preparation H, and KY Jelly...you are going to need it.

[harold]

Nu, its after 10 anyone have a report if he collected the big bucks?

[Yitzchak]

This man has shamed me personally, as a Jew. His conduct is disgraceful and his case is not one that tears at the heartstrings. The sentence is not excessive, as this was not a victimless crime.

To my friends at Chabad, I would say that in this country, you pays your money and you takes your chances. You break the law this way--and you are a Jew no less--you go to jail.

This is not a shanda. This is justice. That is the law for everyone in Galus.

[A E ANDERSON]

In the wake of the Rubashkin debacle, it's worth reading the recent Economist cover package, Crime and Punishment in America, for a sobering perspective on our sole national growth industry: criminalising things and people. The first in the series is "Rough justice: America locks up too many people, some for acts that should not even be criminal." The series examines the draconian sentences often handed out for trivial matters, and how innocent people are forced into unwarranted plea bargains because of prosecutorial abuse. The verdict: a growing national problem that politicians are afraid to touch lest they be seen as soft on crime.

To read, click through to:
http://www.economist.com/node/16640389

[Fed Up]

He entrapped his victims by claiming that Rabbi Schneerson endorsed his scheme. How can Chabad support someone who abuses the Rebbe's name this way?
His brother has to foreclose on his home? At least he is better off than the victims who ultimately don't have homes to foreclose.