Haredi Rabbi Gets 27 Months For Defrauding Government

An admittedly un-kosher rabbi was sentenced this morning to 27 months in the slammer for an unholy fraud for which four fellow crooks walked free after getting their sentences commuted by then-Preisdent Clinton.

Un-kosher rabbi gets 27 months for defrauding goverment
By BRUCE GOLDING • New York Post

An admittedly un-kosher rabbi was sentenced this morning to 27 months in the slammer for an unholy fraud for which four fellow crooks walked free after getting their sentences commuted by then-Preisdent Clinton.

Rabbi Avrum Friesel -- who spent more than 11 years on the lam in Israel and Great Britain -- said he was "deeply ashamed" for breaking American civil law, which meant he also broke Jewish religious law.

"I feel very sorry for the things that I did that were not kosher," Friesel, 57, said in Manhattan federal court.

The gray-bearded religious teacher later turned and smiled to about two dozen supporters wearing black velvet skull caps and traditional Hasidic black garb.

After being extradited last year from London, Friesel, pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme that defrauded various government programs of tens of millions of dollars during the 1980s.

The scam -- run by leaders of the Hasidic village of New Square in Rockland County -- secured more than $10 million in crooked Pell grants for ineligible students at a Brooklyn seminary, and also stole from the Small Business Administration and the federal Section 8 housing program.

Judge Barbara Jones cut Friesel a break from sentencing guidelines that called for up to 41 months in prison, citing his relatively minor role in the scam and his history of working with disabled children.

She also ordered him to pay $11 million-plus in restitution.

Only about $26,000 of the stolen money has been repaid, prosecutor Daniel Levy said.

Four co-defendants were convicted in 1999, but had their sentences commuted by President Clinton on his last day in office in 2001, shortly after his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, won nearly every vote cast in New Square during her election to the U.S. Senate.

A subsequent investigation by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office found no wrongdoing.

The mastermind behind the scheme -- Chaim Berger, a Holocaust survivor and founder of New Square -- died while serving a six-year prison term in 2004.

A seventh defendant, Nathan Adler, remains at large.

Related Posts: 1, 2, 3.

[Hat Tip: Burich.]

Comments

[effie]

said he was "deeply ashamed" for breaking American civil law

But not so deeply ashamed to not lie. He broke criminal statutes and he is a criminal.

[WoolSilkCotton]

He was deeply ashamed for getting caught.

Shmarya, I just sent you this same article prior to seeing this. Just delete.

[seymour]

let go with the appeal to get him out NOW

[Devorah]

Is the rest of the stolen money hidden on Route 306 or maybe it's near Pathmark?

[Bartley Kulp]

Look every criminal is ashamed to get caught when it comes down to it. At least though he has owned up to the crime in a statement of remorse as opposed to trying to make himself out to be a saint or crying antisemitism. That is a start.

[chaim]

chaim says
i happen to know the person.
he did it for the rebbe. for no personal gain. he has been already sitting for some months are the 27 months are extra.
its not he who should be in prison.

[Bill]

Most Orthodox Jewish "colleges" are defrauding the Department of Education with bogus degrees and transcripts for courses that are not taught and not graded, but are reimbursed and paid for by the U.S. Government through educational grants and loan guarantees.

Somebody please investigate this. It's very easy.

Just audit these people. Ask who their "professors" or instructors are. Ask for copies of course catalogs, syllabi, class sign-in sheets, and records of examinations and evaluations.

You will see, with little effort, that this is all one big scam.

[SJ]

Shouldn't there be a rule somewhere that if a rabbi commits a crime he gets his title taken away?

[SJ]

* is convicted of a crime.

[chaim]

chaim says
as far as i know he is not a real rabbi.

[harold]

I looked at the "wanted" sheet and was surprised that he was considered "Armed and Dangerous" - Wow! One tough Jew!

[David]

he was "deeply ashamed" for breaking American civil law, which meant he also broke Jewish religious law.

It's interesting that's he's only ashamed because he broke Jewish law which meant he broke civil law. The halacha is very clear that one must follow the law of the land.

[Yechiel]

David,
The big METZIA of dina demalchuta...
I just don't get it: you mock halacha and then site the MO theme of dina demalchuta which is also 'just' an halacha. Go figure...

[David]

I just don't get it: you mock halacha

Where have I ever mocked Halacha? I just wish the "ultras" would follow it! I.e. Don't steal, lie or cheat, among other things.

[Shlomo]

Yechiel why is dina demalchusa only MO we all have one Torah

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

I just wish the "ultras" would follow it! I.e. Don't steal, lie or cheat, among other things.

We do not follow this derech anymore, some left wing "rabbis" like Avi Weiss still follow it, the YCT crowd come up with all those ancient shitos.

Next they will say that an adult is not allowed to have sex with a child. (it was good for Yitzchok to marry Rivka when she was 3 years old) but not good enough to r' Weiss)

[Oych Mir A Meinung]

Twenty Five years ago the Munkatcher Rebbe stole millions,(See under: unused buildings in Boro Park) & Senator Nunn held hearings in Washingon with an easel showing how they kited checks from "Yeshiva Minchas Elazar" to "Mesivta Darchei Teshuva" or similar names re the Pell grants. Besides the terrible Chilul Hashem, how did he get away with it? Can someone explain? Here this poor Sch**k is taking the fall, for the Godfather....

[chaim]

chaim says
Next they will say that an adult is not allowed to have sex with a child. (it was good for Yitzchok to marry Rivka when she was 3 years old) but not good enough to r' Weiss)

Posted by: Bassy the Haredi Slayer | July 26, 2010 at 08:38 PM

get your facts right before you post
he waited till she was twelve.

[Isa]

Gee 27 months for stealing millions of dollars...

Well! IF he DID get millions [or at least a million] 27 months is a good deal for him!

Question: How many months would you serve in prison for a million dollars?

[chaim]

chaim says
Gee 27 months for stealing millions of dollars...

Well! IF he DID get millions [or at least a million] 27 months is a good deal for him!

Question: How many months would you serve in prison for a million dollars?

Posted by: Isa | July 27, 2010 at 08:02 AM

he never got a cent out of it.

[David]

Question: How many months would you serve in prison for a million dollars?

For a Torah-observing Jew the question is irrelevant as they would not steal in the first place. However, for a Charedi, they would need carefully calculate the cost of forgone "earnings" for the time spent in jail. E.g. If they spent five years in jail that would mean they would lose the welfare benefits for 18 years of the possible five children they could have had in that time and it would not be worth it. (Not to mention other foregone opportunities for fraud.) I think in mathematical and statistical theory the decision matrix can be described by the Von Neumann–Morgenstern Utility Theorem.

[Шнеерсон was мошенничество]

As someone else here said......Baruch hashem for 27!!!!!!!!!

chazak chazak chazak!

[Yerachmiel Lopin]

I don't get it. He is getting a good deal from the government as long as the money is not paid back. I suppose he and his confederates all claim that it was spent to help poor people. Still, there are plenty of investments held by the city of Skver and the Rebbe.

Why is the government not demanding more payback before sentencing.?

[Alex]

Is the same New Square gang that spawned the arsonist would-be murderer? What deep dark secret are these guys really trying to protect?