Video: Shaul Spitzer's Lawyer Says Spitzer "Did Not Intend To Cause Physical Injury To Anybody"

Kenneth Gribetz also says Spitzer claims the Skvere Rebbe, David Twersky, had nothing whatsoever to do with the 4:15 am arson attack on the Rottenberg home that almost killed Aron Rottenberg and could easily have killed Rottenberg's entire family.

 

[Hat Tip: 613 Enforcer.]

Comments

[seymour]

no news here every criminal says the same thing

[613ENFORCER]

ludicrous! Counselor what exactly was your clients intentions that morning at 4:00AM? What was his intent by caring that incendiary device? Counselor you say Twersky had no knowledge of the attack have you personalty interviewed Twersky? Or are you going completely on his butlers (EMPLOYEE'S) statements?

[Wondering]

What does the GRand Rabbi say, did he have any previous knowledge of this

[Leah]

no news here every criminal says the same thing

Posted by: seymour | June 23, 2011 at 07:48 PM

LOL, I too noticed this as well. ALL criminals, virtually without exception, ALWAYS pleads "NOT GUILTY".

This is a given! Almost comical to ask the question "How do you plead?"

All together now - "NOT GUILTY"

America - What a country!

[gabs]

its ridiculous to think that a grand rebbe ordered the killing of mr. rottenberg. I can imagine that this family were the constant target of individuals but not in a lethal way. The truth is that noone knows what transpired, but let us not get carried away to say that the grand rabbi DEFINATELY ordered the kill!

People harrased this family constantly im sure and i would not be surprised that this idiotic 18 yr old hoodlum's intention were to scare mr. rottenberg and tape him running out of his house in his pyjamas...

Having said that whatever happened, the kid should get punished for his behavior but to blame the grand rabbi at this stage is pure biased hate....

[danny]

I have no problem believing the David Twersky wanted the Rottenberg family to flee New Square, and left it to his minions to figure out the nitty gritty. He's to busy being holy, so it's up to his butler to do what needs to be done.

Twersky didn't make a peep when early acts of violence were perpetrated. That silence tells me everything I need to know about that bastard. I won't even afford him the title rabbi. He's part mafia don part cult leader.

[jancsipista]

gabs- the rebbi is much more guily then spitzer he is 70 years old or more and he is concerned with this unbeleivable control of where rottenberg went to daven its beyond insanity where i daven father let their 10 or even younger kids daven where they want this rebbe is tottaly insane with control he is a megalomaniac out of 7000 people who live there he cant take one of his followers should go to a different shil how evil can you get or how insanely controlling can you get and this you call a rebbe he is a thug in rebbes clothing a gangster.

[seymour]

Posted by: gabs | June 23, 2011 at 08:09 PM

the rebbie is like a mafia don

underling hey boss what should I do about seymour
don- just get rid of tyhe problem ok

the mafia boss never says kill

same with the rebbie

[MarkfromShortHills]

"but to blame the grand rabbi at this stage is pure biased hate...."

Posted by: gabs | June 23, 2011 at 08:09 PM

This is egregious nonsense. It may - as Rottenberg says - be that Twersky never explicitly ordered Spitzer to burn Rottenberg's house, but there is no doubt that Spitzer was motivated by Twersky's expressed views on Rottenberg's failure to pray at the main shul.

We will soon see whether the Skverers will succeed in spiriting Spitzer out of the country, as they did for two of the six New Square men who were indicted for stealing $30 million from a Federal program. (Twersky managed to spring the other four by making a huge donation to Hillary Clinton, who convinced Bill Clinton to pardon them after they had served only 2 years or so.)

If Spitzer cannot be gotten out of the country, there is a chance that the Federal prosecutors will make him crack and motivate him to give Twersky up.

[Bench Kvetcher]

There are no guilty people in prison. Just ask them. Saying that there was no intent to cause injury is like farting in a crowded room. Just wanted relief. Had no intention of having anyone enduring the smell.

[steve]

Jack Nicholson in "The Shining":

"I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm just gonna bash your brains in!"

Shaul Spitzer on that fateful morning:

"I'm not looking to hurt anyone. I'm just gonna burn the house down with everyone in it."

[McLiar]

didnt everyone realize that the lawyer just sacrificed his client in public in order to save the rebbe. why would he do that? why not leave his options open? probably because the rebbe is paying him.

[devorah]

Why would anyone give any credence to a lawyer who lost his license to practice law? Would anyone go to a doctor who once lost his license to practice medicine?

[Proton Soup]

from the way he talks, i can't tell if this is Spitzer's lawyer, or Twersky's lawyer

[Loshonhora]

Ken,
What did he intend to do?
A piknik & bar-b-que in Rottenberg's back yard at 4 AM?
Did he think it was lighter fuel?
Why was he masked?
I hope Spitzer is paying his own lawyer, & not somone else who wants to save their own a..
If you say he didn't intend hurting anyone or causing damage, what was that pavkage & mask about?
How will a jury buy this?
The answer I have is he is insane, and had no intentions, in that case the one who handeled him is probably responsible. Will he sing the song?

[danny]

I think that the Judge should make damn sure that Spitzer's lawyer is ONLY representing Spitzer, and is not sacrificing his client's interests in order to protect Twersky.

The kid is facing attempted murder charges. Damn straight his lawyer should be interested in potential plea bargains for a lessor sentence, in exchange for information and testimony.

[ruthie]

ken,
remember the time that rabbi horowitz came to your office and tried to blackmail you? telling you a black dude stole money from the front seat of his car? and if you didn't help him get money from albany he would expose you?
ken!!!!
i have faith in you. now you're stooping to their level. don't let them scare you...or are you simply desperate for work? in that case, i would almost forgive you...but c'mon!!!

[Flatbusher]

I know this is totally over the top. But does anyone think that the Grand Rebbee gave an EXPLICIT order? No way. But IMPLICITLY does anyone think that he did not want these people out ANY way possible, with of course complete deniability.

He harmed Chassidic Jews, Orthodox Jews. and for that matter ALL Jews by giving the hangman's noose to the Anti Semites.

[Dr.Dr. Gimmee The News]

I'm surprised his attorney Gribetz is still licensed to practice law!

Just a small sample:

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/04/nyregion/prosecutor-in-rockland-county-resigns-post-after-a-guilty-plea.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1995/09/14/1995-09-14_tears_as_ex-da_ducks_jail_pr.html

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070115/NEWS/70115553/-1/NEWS271995

[MM]

This whole affair reminds me somehow of Henry II of England and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Essentially Henry wanted some of the prerogatives of the Church to accrue to the Crown, and Thomas, once Henry's best friend and drinking buddy, adamantly refused to accede to the king's wish for domination over the Church. Henry, a man of fiery temper, is said to have shouted in the presence of some of his courtiers: "What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?"* Four of his knights interpreted this to mean "go kill Becket," and that is what they did, hacking him to death in Canterbury Cathedral.

Legal proceedings at the time (and modern scholars tend to agree) determined that Henry was basically just venting his anger and frustration and did not explicitly call for his henchmen to murder Beckett, and certainly not to murder him in a church, a place of sanctuary where even the worst criminal is protected from harm. However, he was held to account (by himself and by others) for implicitly creating the circumstances in which his henchmen believed themselves to be carrying out the King's wish to see Beckett dead. Henry submitted himself to public penance for his role in Beckett's death on several occasions, and that included being publicly flogged at Beckett's tomb by the monks of Canterbury.

Just sayin'.....

*Henry is usually quoted as saying "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" However, the longer quotation given above comes from an account written by an eyewitness to the murder, although not an eyewitness to Henry's loss of temper. Thus, this quotation is from a contemporary source, while the more frequently quoted saying developed in the oral tradition surrounding the cult of St. Thomas Beckett, bishop and martyr.

[David]

didnt everyone realize that the lawyer just sacrificed his client in public in order to save the rebbe. why would he do that? why not leave his options open? probably because the rebbe is paying him.

Posted by: McLiar | June 23, 2011 at 09:02 PM

And the hitman is too stupid to see it. As you correctly observe, the client is the Rebbe, not the hitman.

[asher]

tersky is a defiant control freek and suspect of murdering his whole community with kool aid like jonestown

[WoolSilkCotton]

MM, thanks for the historic insight.

Too bad the frumma know absolutely nothing about history, not even Jewish history, and so they learn nothing from mistakes of the past.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Gribetz's job is to protect his client's legal rights and defend him to the best of his ability.
The popularity or notoriety of a defendant is not an issue- nor should it be- when you practice law.

If pleading 'not guilty' is the correct strategy at this point, that's the attorney's decision, and I don't fault him for doing so.

Notwithstanding Gribetz's personal history of woes, there is no reason to question his competence. Whether I would chose him as my attorney is a matter of personal preference. Since he knows everyone in the legal system in that county, he may, in fact, be a good choice.

You can be sure that the Mafia Rebbe has retained a top-level criminal attorney, probably someone with mob experience, such as Gerald Shargel or Ben Brafman.

That attorney is calling all the shots, and he knows he cannot defend both the Mafia Rebbe and Spitzer because of potential conflict of interest. That attorney may very well have recommended Gribetz for Spitzer. Since Spitzer is considered 'penniless', they may very well throw him under the bus and get him a plea deal with a short sentence, so that the Mafia Rebbe escapes criminal charges.
The Mafia Rebbe will eventually write a check to Mr. Rottenberg to settle the civil case, and that will be the end of it. He will retain all his power; too many NY politicians kiss his tuches.

[WoolSilkCotton]

++devorah | June 23, 2011 at 09:04 PM++

You would be surprised to discover that quite a few doctors- maybe even one that's taken care of you- have lost their licenses due to alcohol, drugs, insurance fraud, incompetence, etc. then had them reinstated after going for treatment, retraining, and resolving the criminal issues.

Doctors are not obligated to volunteer that information to you, but you can look up any doctor's record with your state board of medical examiners, to whom your doctor is obligated to reveal that information.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/professionals/doctors/conduct/

http://www.health.state.ny.us/publications/1445/

http://www.fsmb.org/directory_smb.html

[devorah]

Thanks, WSC.

[www.TotalBluff.blogspot.com]

MAJOR NEWS HERE! the lawyr who is suppose to represent Spitzer, is busy defending Twersky! WHY? Any lawyer would say, my client is not guilty and the trial will prove it and meanwhile he says " My client dd it on his own Not by twersky WHAT A JOKE

You know why? cuz New Square is paying for the lawyer and they are just concerened with clearing the rabbi

I SMELL A RAT

[Garnel Ironheart]

Clearly you've all missed the halachic aspect to this.
Spitzer went to the house to set it, not the people on fire. Yes, yes, once the house was on fire the people trapped inside would also been on fire but al pi halacha Spitzer would not have been responsibly because it's a "grama" situation - he directed damaged the house and is responsible but it's the damage to the house that damaged the people inside so he's not responsible for that.

[jancsipista]

garnel- youre of youre rocker you think what you just wrote will fly no way hoze.

[asher]

36% of New Square residents would be delighted to see twersky off his thrown and into jail according to a recent poll

18% no jail but no more leader

44% undecided they need to ask rebbe what they should think