Haredi Man Allegedly Tries To Defraud Investors By Claiming To Be A Guggenheim

When they claimed to be Guggenheims, the 718 area code should have been a dead giveaway. Three con artists posed as members of the famed New York family in a scheme to fleece millions from investors, including Coca-Cola executives and even the Bushes, federal prosecutors said yesterday.

 

Fake Guggenheim 'con'
By BRUCE GOLDING and JEREMY OLSHAN • New York Post

When they claimed to be Guggenheims, the 718 area code should have been a dead giveaway.

Three con artists posed as members of the famed New York family in a scheme to fleece millions from investors, including Coca-Cola executives and even the Bushes, federal prosecutors said yesterday.

A woman calling herself "Lady" Catarina Pietra Toumei passed herself off as a countess -- and said she was "married to the actor who played the character 'Cliff Clavin' on the television show 'Cheers,' " to try and dupe investors, feds say.

Catarina Toumei was, in fact, once engaged to "Cheers" actor John Ratzenberger.

"Mr. Ratzenberger had a short-lived relationship with Ms. Toumei, almost two years prior to this complaint. He is unaware of this alleged criminal activity and is saddened that her life has taken this turn," said the actor's publicist, Diane McNamara.

Toumei told potential victims she was brokering deals on behalf of the fictitious "Guggenheim Fund" and "Guggenheim Bank," according to fraud charges filed in Manhattan federal court. But her connection to the real Guggenheims seems limited to her following their museum on Twitter.

Meanwhile, her two alleged cohorts, David Birnbaum, 67, of Brooklyn, and Vladimir Zuravel, 45, of Queens, posed as "David B. Guggenheim" and "Vladimir Z. Guggenheim" to help dupe investors into a slew of phony precious-commodity deals, the complaint states.

The pair of "Guggenheims" made calls to potential investors from their own area-code 718 and 347 phone numbers.

Their victims were offered the chance to participate in the $1 billion sale of diamonds "from the private collection of the Guggenheim family," a $4 billion sale of crude oil from China, and a venture to distribute "Guggenheim Vodka," the feds say.

Both Birnbaum and Zuravel were arrested yesterday on wire-fraud charges, but Toumei, 45, of California, remains at large. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.

None of the three victims cooperating with prosecutors actually paid the alleged grifters a cent, officials said.

After the two men were released on bond yesterday, Zuravel insisted his "adopted father" was, in fact, a Guggenheim.

"He is real Guggenheim," Zuravel said. "This is a person who controls a billion, trillion dollars. He's very rich, trust me."

The real Guggenheims are suing the con artists for allegedly using the family's good name to dupe investors.

Comments

[Zuerihegel]

We have plenty of Guggenheims here in Zurich. Maybe I should marry one, then I would not even need to falsify my name in order to defraud people...

[Just a Guy]

I know this birnbaum. Sadly a man with serious mental health issues who truly believes that many things that he dreamed up actually happened...
So sad...
Anyone who ever spent 2 minutes with him can attest to this. do some research, he lives on Ocean Parkway..
The others I can't speak for.

[Chatz]

Monsey man held in prostitution sting

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110201/NEWS03/102010337/Monsey-man-held-in-prostitution-sting

Could this be the same Chaim Bodner?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfgHUP9ue-g

There is only one "Chaim Bodner" listed in Monsey, and he lives in Forshay (the location of the shul listed in the You Tube video).
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=first%3A%22Chaim%22+last%3A%22Bodner%22+city%3A%22Monsey%22+state%3A%22NY%22+&state=NY&fr=php-phon

[Mr. Apikoros]

And what does the fact (maybe) that one of these three crooks is Haredi have to do with the story? (I doubt if the woman involved is even Jewish. Dunno about the Russian guy, but from the picture of his kippe-less head in the Daily News, he certainly is not Haredi.)

Note that the NY Post, a real newspaper with real journalists, didn't mention the religion of any of these grifters. Neither did the NY Daily News, another real newspaper with real journalists.

You keep on doing this, Shmarya, and I'll keep on castigating you for it.

[Shmarya]

You keep on doing this, Shmarya, and I'll keep on castigating you for it.

Posted by: Mr. Apikoros | February 01, 2011 at 09:01 AM

You keep being foolish, I'll keep ignoring you or, on rare occasions, I'll point it out.

As you know but forget whenever it suits your narrow personal vendettas, I cover ORTHODOX JUDAISM.

When a criminal is an ORTHODOX Jew, I point it out.

So, if, say, 15 child pornographers are arrested and 5 are Orthodox and haredi (the exact same ration we have here, 1 out of 3), I'll say haredim were arrested for child porn.

This is no different from Jewish publications who may report this story by pointing out that 2 of the 3 arrested are (or appear to be) Jews and by noting their Jewish communal affiliations.

This is or should be obvious.

That is is not obvious for you points to your personal issues with me, which closely mirror the personal issues you have with almost everyone else that posts here.

[Mr. Apikoros]

The truth hurts, doesn't it?

But you've got one thing absolutely right. I certainly do have personal issues with you, someone who last year threatened to kick my butt and who called me a "freaking Nazi slime." Who wouldn't?

[annonymous]

mr.Apikoros- it would be much smarter for you to just keep things to youreself especially nonsensical things youre making a big fool of youreself, to me you are mentally unbalanced you need intese therapy

[Shmarya]

The truth hurts, doesn't it?

But you've got one thing absolutely right. I certainly do have personal issues with you, someone who last year threatened to kick my butt and who called me a "freaking Nazi slime." Who wouldn't?

Posted by: Mr. Apikoros | February 01, 2011 at 09:29 AM

As I've pointed out many times before, you have absolutely no ability to deal with facts that prove you wrong.

As I clearly pointed out in the comment you are 'responding' to, As you know but forget whenever it suits your narrow personal vendettas, I cover ORTHODOX JUDAISM.

When a criminal is an ORTHODOX Jew, I point it out.

So, if, say, 15 child pornographers are arrested and 5 are Orthodox and haredi (the exact same ration we have here, 1 out of 3), I'll say haredim were arrested for child porn.

This is no different from Jewish publications who may report this story by pointing out that 2 of the 3 arrested are (or appear to be) Jews and by noting their Jewish communal affiliations.

This is or should be obvious.

That is is not obvious for you points to your personal issues with me, which closely mirror the personal issues you have with almost everyone else that posts here.

[steve]

I keep saying this, I wish these criminals would have the decency of taking off their kippas when they are being led away to jail.

[Chabib]

When I'm told that someone is Harderi
in a business dealings, I usually shy
from such dealings. Corruption,deception,
fraud is not limited to our fellow so
called " religious" co-religionist but
runs through all ethnic/religious groups.
The problem is when the one group who
claims to have the true franchise on Judaism has some of its adherents caught
up in scams in screwing their fellow man,
even their own brethern in Torah observance.

[JC]

*When I'm told that someone is Harderi
in a business dealings, I usually shy
from such dealings*

It is wise to run away. It is better to be safe than sorry. There are too many stories about their criminal dealings to take such a chance.

[Andrew]

Please do not beat up on Shmarya (at least about this). Rabbi Eidensohn of the Daas Torah blog (http://daattorah.blogspot.com) also links this story (to a FoxNews source).

[Mr. Apikoros]

Baloney. You do this because you have a vendetta against Orthodox Jews because you got kicked out of Chabad, rightly or wrongly.

Everything you do in life seems to be colored by that.

This story has nothing to do with Haredim. It's about some garden-variety scamsters, one of whom is likely Orthodox, and in any case who isn't the major player; the shiksa is.

When you called me a "freaking Nazi slime" a year ago, it was in response to my calling you out when some Haredi guy ran over a kid when he was rushing to the hospital to visit his sick mother. Again, his transgression had nothing to do with his religion, nor his ethnicity.

You're on much firmer ground when you report on Haredi crimes such as religious intolerance, e.g., rioting over a parking lot that's open on Saturday, or reporting about Haredim who go into clothing stores to measure skirt lengths. In such cases the fact that the bad guys are Haredi is entirely relevant. In this case, it isn't relevant at all.

[Mike]

Hey Apikoros if you think you can do better start your own blog.

[Mr. Apikoros]

I just might, Mike. Watch for it.

[Shmarya]

This story has nothing to do with Haredim. It's about some garden-variety scamsters, one of whom is likely Orthodox, and in any case who isn't the major player; the shiksa is.

Again, you simply have no ability to process fact.

If Jewish newspapers cover this story, they will note the Jewishness of two of three accused.

They will do so because they cover Jewish news, and crime linked to identifiable Jews is news.

I cover ORTHODOX and HAREDI news, primarily crime.

Therefore I will note it if a criminal or accused criminal is Orthodox or haredi.

Past this, there happens to be a problem in the haredi community of relatively widespread fraud and scamming.

It exists primarily because these people rarely get secular educations and have a really hard time making a living – especially when you consider the cost of raising 8 kids and paying for glatt kosher food and private religious schools.

I realize you don't like this, primarily because it proves you wrong and it damages your very fragile ego.

I have a solution to that for you: go away.

There are plenty of other places on the internet where you can harass everyone you disagree with at will.

[baruch]

The NYC garbage collectors have an effective union that wins respectable salaries and benefits for its workers and protects their rights. No matter the effectiveness of the union it can not protect the workers if they merely collect filth from one house and then dumps it at another. Shmarya. What union do you belong to and why is your entire life obsessed with filth? Like the proverbial pig in mud, do you think you fell into paradise. With so much potential for doing good it is truly pathetic that you wallow in the worst when there is so much more beyond the small sordid slice in which you dwell. If you didn't cause more harm than good you could be pitied and forgiven.

[ruthie]

zuerihegel....
zuri?

[Deremes]

Shmarya,

Is Vladimir Zuravel haredi?

Off topic but i wonder if you listened yesterday to Avi Moskowitz on the Zev Brener show what he had to say about the arrest of the haredi woman at her daughters wedding.
He had some very kind words on the FBI and the prosecutor.

[Mr. Apikoros]

Shmarya writes:

Past this, there happens to be a problem in the haredi community of relatively widespread fraud and scamming.

You've said this many, many times. Now it's time for you to cite statistics that Haredim are more likely than others (especially other Jews) to be involved in fraud and scamming. Not anecdotal incidents. Hard statistical facts which can be verified.

[Shmarya]

You've said this many, many times. Now it's time for you to cite statistics that Haredim are more likely than others (especially other Jews) to be involved in fraud and scamming. Not anecdotal incidents. Hard statistical facts which can be verified.

Posted by: Mr. Apikoros | February 01, 2011 at 01:01 PM

This is where your disingenuousness becomes especially clear.

As you know, US law does not permit the gathering of crime statistics by religion, and the haredi community does not cooperate with academics who research these things, so there are no "hard statistics" and you know it.

But what there are is reams of anecdotal accounts from law enforcement, social workers, journalists, and haredim themselves.

It's similar to what Dov Hikind said about his community in terms of child sexual abuse. There are lots of cases because police are not usually called and victims are persecuted by the community. It's the best place for a pedophile to choose to be.

A similar situation exists with fraud and scamming, especially when the victims are not haredim.

I've made these points many times, and you have ignored it many times, because you are disingenuous.

Now why not run along to some other blog. Your welcome here has long worn out.

[Milt from Monsey]

Mr. Apikoros, I, for one, will miss you. Your comments, while not always cogent, were at least delivered from the heart, and your on-line pugilistic threats to batter were a constant source of entertainment. Happy Trails, Mr. A.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

How is this possible when only 5 months ago these Jewish men were in synagogue during Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur, Sukkot and simchat Torah praying and giving thanks to Odoni.

There must be a mistake or at the very least they were set up by anti Semites as in the cases of the "Rabbis" Rubashkin & Tropper.

[jay]

Anyone who considers the NY Post a "real newspaper" has already lost all credibility. It's a P.O.S. Murdoch tabloid.

[jancsipista]

mehachem-this is all possible because everything that is shown outside by frumme yidden is just an act, nothing is sacred by them when it comes to money and aquiring lots of it their whole life is make beleive, yom kippur rosh hashanna is just a respite for those 2 days from doing the shticklerey as they say in yiddish

[Menachem Mendel lll]

jancsipista,

A dank for the shickerey definition.

It definitely helps me to understand the MO of these uber frum bearded criminal cocksuckers.

Moshiach!

[Mr. Apikoros]

I'm not going anywhere, Milt.

[jancsipista]

MENACHEM- ITS FROM THE WORD SHTICK AN ACT IN THIS CASE ITS THIEVERY

[Mr. Apikoros]

Shmarya, you're the one who's being disingenuous.

All one has to do would be to check out crime statistics in towns or areas which are largely or exclusively Haredi. The Haredim have actually made it easy for researchers by ghettoizing themselves.

For example, what's the crime rate in Monsey, NY? Kiryas Joel? Or you can go by Zip Code or police precinct, e.g., Borough Park.

Then there's Israel, where there's no such restriction. What's the crime rate in Mea Sheirim, as compared with the rest of Israel? B'nai B'rak?

You can argue that Haredim don't report crime, and thus the statistics are skewed. But the statistics are, or at least should be, available for researchers to take a shot at it.

As you know, I'm no particular fan of haredim, quite the contrary. And I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if Haredim do commit more than their share of fraud. But you can't just make statements willy-nilly without backing them up. And to insult those who challenge you speaks volumes about yourself, not about me.

[MeMySelfandI]

I am absolutely shocked my father was close friends with this man and I ate at his families home I feel sick to my stomach.

[Shmarya]

You can argue that Haredim don't report crime, and thus the statistics are skewed. But the statistics are, or at least should be, available for researchers to take a shot at it.

You are woefully ignorant.

Fraud charges when filed are not usually linked to the accused's zip code or neighborhood unless the crime was committed there. Crimes are linked to the location the crime took place, meaning if a person lives in Manhattan and is defrauded by a man living in Brooklyn, the crime is a Manhattan crime. And so on.

And, yes, as we all know, haredim do not report most crimes committed by other haredim.

[Critical minyan]

Stupid guy. He should have stuck to the 'i'm raisng money for pidyon shvuyim" con, like nat lewin.

[Chazzer]

Hey SR,what's the connection between DB and the more well known YK????

[ombudsmann]

My cousin who learned in a Yeshiva that DB frequents has told me many times about this older man who lives next door who isn't righvin the head. He says that the guys in Yeshiva call the act of talking ones own self into belief of wild things about ones self as being a "Dovid Bern"

[Mr. Apikoros]

I'm not ignorant at all. In virtually every case, the address of the criminal is part of the police report (unless the criminal is homeless). It wouldn't be such a difficult job to organize crime statistics by location of the criminal.

That's the beauty of relational data bases.

[Shmarya]

I'm not ignorant at all. In virtually every case, the address of the criminal is part of the police report (unless the criminal is homeless). It wouldn't be such a difficult job to organize crime statistics by location of the criminal.

That's the beauty of relational data bases.

Posted by: Mr. Apikoros | February 02, 2011 at 02:54 AM

You've obviously never worked with NYC police reports – which are not, as a rule, made public.

And even if a police report is available, the sip code of the offender is rarely, if ever, included.

You really have no idea what your're saying.

[Moshe aron kestenbaum, Williamsburg ODA]

Catarina Pietra Toumei " TOUMEI" SHE IS A TOUMEINEI shiksha, HER NAME SAYS IT ALL. a toumenai shiksha , BIRNBAUM IS A MENTAL CASE, someone made use of his mental condition nebach. this third guy the russian sounds to be another intoxicated Liquor basket case.looks like this toumeina shiksha is the front for this clever scheming.

[Mr. Apikoros]

Individual reports may not be made public, but statistical information is, and has been for many years.

Bottom line, you can't prove that Haredim are more involved in fraud than the average Joe, or the average Yussel. While you may believe that Haredim are more involved in fraud, and you might be correct, rather than come out with whatever statistics are available, you attack ad hominem, a sure sign you've lost the argument.

Bottom line: You've been claiming for years that Haredim are more likely to commit fraud, and more likely to be sex offenders. Prove it.

[Shmarya]

Individual reports may not be made public, but statistical information is, and has been for many years.

Bottom line, you can't prove that Haredim are more involved in fraud than the average Joe, or the average Yussel. While you may believe that Haredim are more involved in fraud, and you might be correct, rather than come out with whatever statistics are available, you attack ad hominem, a sure sign you've lost the argument.

Bottom line: You've been claiming for years that Haredim are more likely to commit fraud, and more likely to be sex offenders. Prove it.

Posted by: Mr. Apikoros | February 02, 2011 at 07:36 AM

You are, as I've I've written many times before and as many others have written, an arrogant idiot.

The statistics you think are made public do not exist. You don't grasp this? Your extra-large ego can't let in the bad news?

Too bad. The truth is the truth, despite your arrogance and your bluster.

What I've claimed for years is not "that Haredim are more likely to commit fraud, and more likely to be sex offenders." Like so much else of what you write, that's your delusional spin, not the facts, not the truth.

What I've said clearly and repeatedly is the following:

Fraud is rampant in the haredi community because haredi leaders have made it difficult for haredi to get the secular educations they need to hold jobs that pay well enough to support large haredi families.

I've also said that haredi rabbis look the other way and even honor known criminals.

All of this is true.

As for child sexual abuse, I said what Dov Hikind said long before he said it. When pedophiles are not reported to police and child protective services, they molest more children over longer periods of time, which equals more victims per capita than otherwise would be the case.

And because molested children are more likely to become pedophiles themselves, and because haredi communities provide a safe haven, of sorts, for pedophiles, it stands to reason there are more pedophiles in haredi communities for this reason, as well.

I realize your arrogance, you over-inflated ego, and your remarkably ill-tempered personality make it nearly impossible for you to process information that deflates that ego.

But, again, the truth is the truth.

And you, sir, are nothing but an over0inflated buffoon.

[Mr. Apikoros]

As the blogmeister here, and as a fellow Jew, you, Shmarya, have the obligation to be fair, especially to those whom you attack.

Yet, rather than discuss the point, you persist with your ad hominem attack, calling me an "arrogant idiot" among other things, such as a "freaking Nazi slime."

If there are no statistics proving Haredim are more criminally inclined than the rest of us, there is no proof, other than the drivel which comes out of your rectal orifice.

But there are statistics, and other ways to prove your allegations. You have totally failed to do so, and instead, as usual, resorted to name-calling, the hallmark of a loser.

Somewhere in Hell, Dr. Josef Goebbels and Julius Streicher are reading this, and chuckling to themselves that someone who calls himself a Jew is acting just like they did.

Auf Weidersehen.

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

Lady Catarina-Pietra-Toumei is on Facebook.

[Adolph]

Shmarya,
Question for you . Are the anti-semites right about the Jews ?
Madoff is no Hareidi
You can replace "Jew" with "Zionist" or "Hareidi" but is there a real difference ?

[Shmarya]

Shmarya,
Question for you . Are the anti-semites right about the Jews ?
Madoff is no Hareidi
You can replace "Jew" with "Zionist" or "Hareidi" but is there a real difference ?

Posted by: Adolph | February 02, 2011 at 03:29 PM

I don't understand your question.

Are you trying to say that all Jews are thieves because Madoff is a thief and some haredim are thieves?

[Adolph]

Well if you think its just "some hareidim"
then whats the point of this web site,
I understand that this started as a forum to expose the chabad policy regarding African Jews , but what is it now ?
Just to show the world that "some hareidim"
don't really follow the torah , big deal it always been that way.There will always be "some" people that mess up.
And if you think its more that just "some"
Than you are back to my first question.

This is now a place for haters to hang as can be seen from the commentors , I dont think this is were you wanted to go when it all started.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: Adolph | February 02, 2011 at 04:43 PM

If I follow your logic, if all or most haredim were criminals, then this site would be okay.

But if only some haredim are criminals, the site is not okay.

Is that what you mean?

[Adolph]

its not a question of okay or not ..this is a free country
The question is what are you doing with your talent . Are you serving a purpose ?
If its only "some" than whats your point ?

[Shmarya]

That makes no sense.

If only a few kids are being raped, and exposing those rapists cuts that number down, this site would have no real value because the number is small?

[Adolph]

Cutting it down ? It sounds like you feel guilty about what you do and need to feel like you are fixing to world.
exposing yes . cutting down ? wishful thinking (dont get me wrong I am not adverse to the exposing bit, although I think you take credit for a lot of UOJ work)
The feeling I get from your blog is that you first wanted to expose the issue you had with the Habad Rebbe over African Jews
and that fine (even though I felt you took the issue to personal)
But then it went broader to expose the whole orthodox ,torah world,
and the torah and the whole orthodox tradition (thats when I noticed the personal aspect) and jumped back to Rubashkin to stay true to your cause
of exposing the chabad issue .

what bothers me about your site is the hate
frum or not hate is off puting
It does not look like a "community service site"

I hope after 120 they dont write "Failetalent" on the tomb stone
(or urn what ever is your prefrence)

[Shmarya]

Cutting it down ? It sounds like you feel guilty about what you do and need to feel like you are fixing to world.…[etc., etc.]

Posted by: Adolph | February 02, 2011 at 09:30 PM

I think you have no idea what you're talking about.

[Shlomo]

In a manner of speaking, D. Birnbaum is actually a Guggenheim. His mothers maiden name was ..... drumroll please .... Guggenheim. Not related to the famous NY Guggenheim clan, but the name is the same.

[seike]

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-09-12/alleged-guggenheim-impostor-has-u-s-complaint-dismissed.html

unbelievable how you Jews speak of each other... every comment you wrote against these innocent people was a waste of the gift god gave you(life). For you see,this mans whole case is thrown out!
Do yourselves a favor and stop being a wait of breath as well, coming up on the Jewish new year...

i cant get over how you would so carelessly speak of another man...after all your just 1 of 6,000,000 beating hearts.

[Shmarya]

Acutally, you didn't quite tell the whole story:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/business/the-guggenheim-connection-fame-riches-and-a-masquerade.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

The criminal charges against Mr. Birnbaum were dismissed on Sept. 9, apparently because prosecutors failed to file a timely indictment, though they could file new charges against him.In other words, wait a little bit longer before you trumpet his innocence.