Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's Nephew Arrested On Arms-Related Charges

Efraim E. Diveroli, the brash young Miami Beach arms dealer who landed a $300 million contract with the Pentagon to buy and ship munitions to Afghanistan only to have it unravel in a sprawling criminal case, was in custody again in Florida on Monday, facing new federal charges.

Efraim Diveroli Charged in New Weapons Case
C. J. CHIVERS • New York Times

Efraim E. Diveroli, the brash young Miami Beach arms dealer who landed a $300 million contract with the Pentagon to buy and ship munitions to Afghanistan only to have it unravel in a sprawling criminal case, was in custody again in Florida on Monday, facing new federal charges.

Mr. Diveroli, 24, was arrested Friday in Brevard County, Fla., and charged with possession of firearms as a convicted felon and with possession of firearms while under indictment for a felony offense.

After a brief appearance at a detention hearing on Monday in Federal District Court in Orlando, he was ordered held without bail in the Orange County Corrections Department.

The two criminal counts appeared to be initial charges intended to detain Mr. Diveroli pending the results of an investigation into a more extensive criminal enterprise.

An 18-page affidavit filed late last week by Kevin McCann, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, described Mr. Diveroli as operating a front company, Advanced Munitions, to solicit business as an arms dealer. Mr. Diveroli has no federal license for arms brokering and is forbidden as a convicted felon from handling firearms.

According to the complaint, on July 14, Mr. Diveroli solicited business from an unnamed licensed dealer to trade in ammunition, magazines and machine guns, which he hoped the other dealer might provide him for "resale in the Miami area." The dealer notified the authorities, who opened an investigation.

Mr. Diveroli was later recorded in conversations with undercover A.T.F. agents in which he said he was a consultant for a company that needed help "with the importation of 100-round ammunition drums" from a South Korean factory, and he hoped to ship these items into the United States at the rate of 120,000 pieces a year.

In other conversations, Mr. Diveroli, who later identified himself as "a private equity company" and did business under the company names of "LOW LLC, "AmmoWorks," "Advanced Munitions," and "Pinnacle Minerals Corporation," also offered rifle cartridges for sale, including a "trial order" to sample an available inventory of five million or six million rounds.

Mr. Diveroli was barely old enough to legally drink in 2007 when the Pentagon entered a huge contract with him to buy munitions from former Eastern Bloc depots and ship them to Kabul, Afghanistan.

The munitions he sold under his company name, AEY Inc. - including hand- and rocket-propelled grenades, mortar and artillery rounds, and tens of millions of Kalashnikov rifle and machine-gun cartridges - were to be distributed to the fledgling Afghan security forces for the fight against the Taliban.

In 2008, as The New York Times investigated accusations that he was shipping decades-old Kalashnikov ammunition in corroded packaging to the war, and repackaging and obscuring the origins of Chinese cartridges procured from Albania, the United States Army abruptly suspended its contract with Mr. Diveroli and his firm.

The Pentagon and federal prosecutors later accused Mr. Diveroli of a criminal scheme to sell banned Chinese munitions to the Pentagon, and he was indicted on federal fraud and conspiracy charges. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to a single conspiracy count. He had been awaiting sentencing, which was scheduled for November.

The latest criminal complaint claimed that Mr. Diveroli, whose arms dealing once seemed to have ended with his conviction, was recorded by undercover agents on Aug. 4 saying that "he has a large stock of ammunition in the United States" and "has been unloading his ammunition the last couple of years."

"Once a gun runner, always a gun runner," the complaint said Mr. Diveroli told the agent.

In other recorded conversations, Mr. Diveroli appeared to boast of violations of his status as a felon awaiting sentencing.

On Aug. 11, he said that "earlier in the day he was shooting at the range" and a few days later, he was recorded saying that "he and a friend were recently hunting alligators, white tail deer and hogs in the Everglades" with a .50-caliber black-powder rifle.

That trip seemed to have been as ill-fated as his latest business venture. After "they got a couple of decent shots at an alligator," Mr. Diveroli was recorded saying, their "vehicle got stuck in the mud" and they had to wait for a tow truck to retrieve them.

He was arrested Friday after driving to Brevard County to meet undercover agents. Brevard County is outside the federal Southern District of Florida, where Mr. Diveroli had agreed to remain while free as part of his presentencing conditions.

Mr. Diveroli examined and handled firearms brought to the meeting by the agents, including a Glock Model 17 semiautomatic pistol and a 7.62-millimeter semiautomatic rifle.

Mr. Diveroli, the affidavit said, was so enthused by the weapons that he suggested to companions traveling with him that they go to Wal-Mart and buy ammunition so they might go shooting.

At the Wal-Mart, Mr. Diveroli and his friends quickly bought several hundred rounds of ammunition and then drove back to meet the undercover agents again and presumably go to a shooting range.

He was promptly arrested, the complaint said, while sitting in a silver Audi convertible with the ammunition in the back seat.

Related Post: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's Family Linked To Illegal Arms Dealing, Money Laundering, Conspiracy, Fraud and Assault

[Hat Tip: CS.]

Comments

[al Farabi]

Maybe if he'd have been a donor to wineberg's tefillin campaign he'd have been protected?

[al Farabi]

Maybe if he'd have been a donor to wineberg's tefillin campaign he'd have been protected?

[danny]

There needs to be a full investigation of the Pentagon to see all of the crap involved in his contract. This story does not begin and end with a 21-year-old surfer-stoner dude.

[harold]

He doesn't look haredi to me.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

Since this guy didn't grease the palms of "religious" Hebraic-Judaic henchmen as did Rubashkin can we expect the same outcry from the Frum community defending
"our" innocent sheep to the slaughter Jewish brother.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Isn't that Andy Samberg from SNL?

http://www.ravebash.com/wp-content/uploads/andy_samberg.jpg

[yankele]

Shmarya (Scott) Rosenberg Shares the same last name as Executed Communist Spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, may be related. May be communist [From Minnesota, so at least a socialist ;-)]. May be spy.

[Shmarya]

Shmarya (Scott) Rosenberg Shares the same last name as Executed Communist Spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, may be related. May be communist [From Minnesota, so at least a socialist ;-)]. May be spy.

Funny.

Of course, you miss key points: Shmuley Boteach's financial improprieties with regard to his British charity and donations, if any, made by his family members to his American charity.

[Loshon Hora]

The feds make criminals rather than uphold law. This guy is a kid they are manufacturing a criminal, because they can't "Fagin" [yiddish] him.Lokk at the writting bearly old enough to legally drink.
The same way when a criminal is out lose they let them go on stealing trafficing & sometimes killinfg, just to have a much bigger case, they follow them & trip them up. Instead of taking them straight away.
Criminal law in the USA needs a major cleanup. The USA has more people in Jail than all the Western countries [Some say more than the entire world]put together. The amount of years in jail & the percentage of society in jail point to everyone serving time, if not for the fact thatmany are repeat ofenders.
We have a broken system from top to bottom, which needs urgent repair.
This kid is a good business man & the agents are Damn jelous of his skills & money.

[yankele]

O.K., so I just reread the article. I also looked at the LA Weekly article from your last post on the topic. No mention of "improprieties with regard to his British charity and donations" so is this speculation??? Are you assuming he took money from his family??? Are you assuming that he knew about his familial indiscretions?? Is there a smoking gun?? Why isn't there a link????

Look, I have no opinion on Shmuley, but I know that he grew up in L.A. and then moved to Florida after his family were involved in a messy divorce. He went to school with a brother of mine and I remember him coming over to the house on a day when his folks were warring in court. I have a ton of sympathy for that little boy because I remember the whispering that the divorce was nasty and no kid should be put through that.

Maybe that is why his mom left his father??? One day you wake up and learn that the guy you married is a monster. you don't want him associated with your children and you leave him.

And you are trying to tie this around his neck because you speculate that his family MAY HAVE donated to his charities.

[Judah]

He is a "good businessman" and the agents are "jealous"? We really do have radically different perspectives on the law and business ethics. The goyim must really look like freiers for the plucking! Pity Americans didn't know about these huge cultural differences when your family begged to move to America. Then again, perhaps they did and that is why they pushed for the 1920's immigration moratorium. Who could have guessed that 100 years later the attitudes would be completely unchanged.

[al Farabi]

Menachem Mendel: With reference to "sheep to the slaughter", you have to watch this amazing shear given by an australian rabbi. You'll realise how your local chabad rabbi has fleeced you when he says they don't believe in trimming. I'm going to give mine a good slap on the chops after having seen this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOgfCehUbjY

[al Farabi]

Come to think of it,shmuley's nephew looks as if he could do with a good shear

[Loshon Hora]

He is a "good businessman" and the agents are "jealous"? We really do have radically different perspectives on the law and business ethics. The goyim must really look like freiers for the plucking! Pity Americans didn't know about these huge cultural differences when your family begged to move to America. Then again, perhaps they did and that is why they pushed for the 1920's immigration moratorium. Who could have guessed that 100 years later the attitudes would be completely unchanged.

Posted by: Judah | August 24, 2010 at 02:35 PM

Another media believer, my family didn't come to the USA, they reside in Europe, for your information you smart spark.
Now ask any Goy in Europe if he feels the same about the USA.

[justayid]

i love a good shir, myself

[Shmarya,loves drinking jewish blood]

you dirty filthy rat,what does his relationship to boteach have anything to do with this story,

[harold]

you dirty filthy rat,what does his relationship to boteach have anything to do with this story,

If someone commits a crime and their third cousin twice removed is haredi then here at FailedMessaih, that makes his crime worthy of a post.

[nachos]

He doesn't look haredi to me.

Posted by: harold | August 24, 2010 at 12:25 PM

That is the point Harold. Rubashkin and Jews should not look haredi when arrested. Looking religious when arrested just causes a chillul hashem.

If the Rebbe were alive the first thing he would have told these clowns that if you are arrested, make sure you are not wearing a yalmuke so as not to bring disgrace to yiddushkeit.

Am I right about this Woolsilkcotton?

[WoolSilkCotton]

Yes. That was his advice to a frummer criminal years ago.

Nowadays, of course, there is no shame whatsoever in the frum velt. Criminals are welcome; indeed, they are celebrated.

[harold]

He doesn't look haredi to me.

Posted by: harold | August 24, 2010 at 12:25 PM

That is the point Harold. Rubashkin and Jews should not look haredi when arrested. Looking religious when arrested just causes a chillul hashem.

My point was that I thought that only Orthodox/haredi/Chabad crimes get posted here, hence my comment that "He doesn't look haredi to me"

[David]

How on Earth does someone who is 21 (at the time) secure a $300 million Pentagon contract?

[al Farabi]

Shmarya, I cannot help but notice the similarities between the case of boteach and his nephew the arms dealer, and wineberg and his tefillin campaign sponsor who is also an arms dealer (posted here a few days ago).
Both of the arms dealers have leveraged off their political connections to obtain government contracts. Having done a google search on Ichikowitz, however, it is far more of a sinister scenario in the sense that his political connection was a high ranking government minister in the old South African apartheid regime by the name of Pik Botha. After sanctions caused the apartheid regime to collapse, it appears that the Ichikowitz family simply flipped their allegiance, and after having been supporters of the apartheid regime, they simply became supporters of the new ANC regime and have donated millions of dollars to the ANC which, as is evident from the article that you posted, has facilitated their obtaining contracts for their arms business. It also appears that in the case of the Ichikowitz crowd, there have been attempts to investigate possible wrong-doings, but because of their political connections, any investigations of possible impropriety have not gotten off first base because of their political connections. What I also found interesting is that there is a web blog which says that Ichikowitz is the South African agent for Apple computers and that it appears that they are charging excessively for apple devices and he suggests that the apple agency is perhaps a front for their arms business, as his enquiries were stonewalled.
The bottom line here is that in typical chabad fashion, while they are very particular about their kashrut, they don't apply the same due diligence to the money that they are prepared to take - it is these double standards that sicken me when it comes to the haredim and chabad in particular. This is an absolute desecration of God's name and proves that haredim are not the light unto the nations that jews are supposed to be. Makes you stink, doesn't it?

[farsi]

Shmuley's father is in this business reportedly along with an L.A. son-in-law and other family members. Seems this kid arrested is the grandson (son of the L.A. son-in-law). Could be the kid just grew up with this and couldn't let go, or he's guided by his relatives. Seems more is going on, then that which is reported here.