Haredi Rabbi's Fraud Of "Biblical Proportions" Sparks Extradition

Considering his claims to be able to decode the Bible to predict the future, Rabbi Avraham David should have seen his arrest coming. Instead the rabbi, aka suspended New York lawyer Earl S. David, sits in the Toronto West detention center denied bail and awaiting extradition to the United States, where he’s wanted as the ringleader of the one of the largest immigration fraud scams in the nation’s history.

 

Mandel: Fraud of biblical proportions sparks extradition 2
By Michele Mandel • Toronto Sun

TORONTO - Considering his claims to be able to decode the Bible to predict the future, Rabbi Avraham David should have seen his arrest coming.

Instead the rabbi, aka suspended New York lawyer Earl S. David, sits in the Toronto West detention centre denied bail and awaiting extradition to the United States, where he’s wanted as the ringleader of the one of the largest immigration fraud scams in the nation’s history.

American authorities allege David, 47, fled to Toronto in 2006 after a federal investigation began into whether a massive immigration fraud mill was being run through his Manhattan-based law practice. Taking up to $30,000 a pop, David and 26 others are accused of securing green cards for 25,000 clients by filing phony tax receipts and fake pay stubs to show bogus U.S. employers had “sponsored” them.

“As alleged, Earl David and his many cohorts corrupted the immigration process through a carefully orchestrated scheme that was stunning in its scope and audacity,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said. “They allegedly reaped millions of dollars for filing tens of thousands of fraudulent applications.”

The accusations are hard to mesh with the self-described rabbi and fifth generation “scion” of a Chassidic dynasty who wrote “Code of the Heart”, a treatise on how Hebrew numerology in the Old Testament can decode everything from the tsunami to 9/11.

“He has shown in his writings that the Torah controls, predicts and influences current events,” his website claims. “The Torah is a blueprint for events ...he has been able to decipher this blue print.”

Yet with amazing chutzpah, this is the same rabbi accused of using a bank account in the name of his religious book to funnel illicit profits from the fraud scheme even after he fled to Canada.

But then this is a Bible scholar with a checkered past and a dual nature.

New York prosecutors granted the lawyer immunity in return for his testimony about a scheme involving securities fraud, bribery, and money laundering in 1992. For his role, the Canadian-born David was suspended from the New York bar in 2004. He’s alleged to have fled to Toronto two years later and operated his immigration fraud from here.

David told his bail hearing he was still practising as a New Jersey lawyer via long distance but only doing “foreclosure defence”.

Continuing his dichotomous nature, court also heard the divorced rabbi moved in with his Mexican lover several months before they wed in December 2010 and she’s now seven months pregnant. When not posting biblical essays on the website of his downtown synagogue, David was Twittering his numerological predictions.

So did he see this one coming? In a harsh rebuke, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maureen Forestell denied David’s request to be released from jail pending his extradition hearing.

“I am of the view that Mr. David is a very significant flight risk in light of his flight to Canada to avoid prosecution, his tenuous connection to this country and the likelihood that he could access false documents and hidden assets,” the judge said in her written decision. “Mr. David has shown himself to be willing to mislead the court and I do not believe that he would feel bound to comply with terms of a release imposed by this Court any more than he has felt bound to tell the truth to the Court.”

The judge rejected his wife’s offer to post a $200,000 bond.

“The amount available for bail is not sufficient to compel the compliance of Mr. David,” she said. “Nor am I of the view that the presence of his pregnant wife would keep him in the jurisdiction. Mr. David fled the United States and did not see his 10-year old son for two years on his evidence. He has shown himself to be willing to abandon family members to avoid prosecution.”

If only David had decoded the clues. Or maybe he did.

Scanning his Tweets, we find one from just a month before his arrest - his numerological explanation for the Hebrew letters spelling “thief.”

“The thief goes up because he has the merchandise,” David explained. “However when he gets caught, he loses the loot and ends up behind bars so he ends up down.”

Comments

[T-Dot]

The "rabbi" status seems questionable. His uncle has run the Markham Street Shul (Shaarei Tzedek) in downtown Toronto for many years.

Also check out the story of "Harold the Jewllery Buyer" for more frummie drama in Toronto. The saga covered in depth in The New Yorker a few weeks ago. A $3-million lawsuit since.

[Fleishike Kishke]

The American "Goy" will soon learn what the Russian "Goy" learned. The "Jews" and by that I mean the "Frumma" are corrupt to the core. And when they learn this, when they finally grasp the magnitude of the decrepitude, they will come after the “Jews” with a vengeance. I don’t see Russian-style pogroms, but more in the form of relentless audits and investigation, but likely increased hate attacks too. I don't want any of the “pogroms” coming after me. So I will protest against, and expose, these frumma how I can. Just as people say about the Muslims that the "good ones" don't do enough to uncover the terrorists, and that secretly they sympathize with the terrorists ... the American Jew must do everything in his or her power to root out these fraudulent "Rebbes." Russian Jews understood this and tried to forming their own branch of the communist party, but Stalin eventually turned on the Eveseksiia. Stalin however was a paranoid tyrant. This is the United States and the chances are very good that things won't go the same way. America will see that there are “Jews” who are not of the ilk as the frumma.

[WoolSilkCotton]

The decent Muslims would get a bullet in the head if they spoke out against their criminal brethren.

Similarly, what frummer would not love to do harm to those that speak out against them?
Look at the vitriol against our very own Shmarya. I wonder how many threats have been made against him, or attempts to cause physical harm.
Look at the hate against Dwek. He ratted out some frumma criminals to save himself some prison time, and yet there is never a word to criticize the criminals he exposed, there is only hate aimed at him.

Indeed, if you go public and expose the frumma criminals, I do not doubt they would resort to causing you bodily harm. Remember, they are doing it for God, therefore, anything is justified.

[seymour]

he was only helping the poor immigrants

what so bad

he should be lauded for his kindness in helping other dream come true of becoming USA citizens

[Litvish]

Fleishike Kishke

Great comment!!

Yes, we need to monitor these criminals, for that is exactly what they are. We need people who are totally fluent in Yiddish, yeshivish and their jargons, who know what they are up to every moment, who have good connections with the government and who will pass along all intelligence to the IRS, FBI, State Dept., INS, and all local and other agencies to apply the screws.

They are the ones who bring on anti-Semitism. Bizarre that they cry anti-Semite when they create it themselves.

We need frum-specialists in all criminology, psychology and social work programs. These and others will teach the goyim and others to follow their tricks, their ways of milking and bilking the system.

Finally, one day, they will be eliminated. Then real Jews, good Jews, can live in peace.

And, yes, most Americans are not anti-Semites. I know I will be attacked for saying this but that is my experience.

This especially must happen in Israel. Of course, it will not due to politics. The frumiks will be the death of secular, democratic Israel not the Arabs.

The fear factor is a major tool of the frumiks and those they support.

[Old time Lakewooder]

Earl david is no Rabbi, never pretended to be one either. He used to hang out in the chinese restaurant in Manalapan, NJ.

[Shmarya]

Earl david is no Rabbi, never pretended to be one either. He used to hang out in the chinese restaurant in Manalapan, NJ.

Posted by: Old time Lakewooder | October 30, 2011 at 03:18 PM

He most certainly did present himself as a rabbi.

To say otherwise is to lie.

[Rebitzman]

Earl david is no Rabbi

Ah the old "he's not a REAL rabbi" defense.

Actually, not that old. Been used a alf dozen times in about 4 threads overte last three days.

Here's MY rule. If you don't deny their rabbinic status BEFORE they get arrested.............

[Fleishike Kishke]

"We need people who are totally fluent in Yiddish, yeshivish and their jargons, who know what they are up to every moment, who have good connections with the government and who will pass along all intelligence to the IRS, FBI, State Dept., INS, and all local and other agencies to apply the screws."

About two years ago, I saw a job listing posted by the FBI hiring for JUST this position. I am busy with other things. I don't have the background for the specific community they were targeting, and truthfully, part of me didn't have the guts to go for it. And I sensed that to some extent, even law enforcement would see me as a traitor ... But as these stories pile up, when it becomes evident that the best people to tackle this systemic fraud are former, or EVEN PRACTICING frumma, maybe I WILL seek out such a position.

[rebeljew]

The "He's not a real Rabbi" defense is formally known as the "No true scotsman" fallacy.

This reminds me of the case of Ms. Cleo, a psychic, who trained other psychics to man a hotline to keep people on the phone incurring 3.99 / hr. charges. Her offices were raided as well. And she, too, never saw it coming. (Nor did any of her approx. 1500 trained psychics.)

[Shlomo]

Another day, another jewish fraud.

[Litvish]

Fleishike Kishke

Time to start refreshing your Hungarian:))

[jancsipista.]

Litvish-igen migen hapt a fleegen:))

[seymour]

Posted by: Fleishike Kishke | October 30, 2011 at 04:30 PM

I would love such a job but I am to old

[bmos]

fleishike kishke, I love your term "all fruma jews" REally? All frum jews are thieves??? you are the worst kind of either an anti semite or a self hating jew. 99% of the frum jews I know are regular honest hard working people. I find it funny that the biggest thief of all, madof, wasn't a frumma jew but one of your kind. I guess all non frum jews are thieves. Stop calling all frum jews thieves because there are a few who are.
Those that are should be punished but your hatred as well as some others on here makes you look foolish.

[rebitzman]

@bmos

Your quote that you attribute to fleishike kishke "all fruma jews" doesn't appear on this page - ergo, it isn't a quote - it is, in fact, a lie.

So I assume you're one of the 1%?

[seymour]

Posted by: bmos | October 30, 2011 at 06:52 PM

the big difference and main difference is the secular Jews did not stick up for him, they did not cry antisemitism, are not creating petition and pidyom shvuim campaigns.

neither do we excuse him say everybody does it, he gave charity, he only did to feed his family neither do we call him reb or his family holy (even thought no other madoff is a convicted felon as opposed to the rubaskin clan)

that is the difference

you feel no yid should ever get punished and even if they caught you feel it is simply a frame up and they did no wrong

[Fleishike Kishke]

bmos: As someone pointed out I didn't say "all." and the thing about me is I grew up in a frum neighborhood and went to yeshiva etc ... so your BS is ineffective. I don't have to study this stuff. I know it first hand. If I take the 100 frumma I know best, the percentage of crooked ones, or ones that LOVE a good fraud even if they don't have the guts to do it themselves, is SO MUCH higher than 1% that it makes me think that A) you're a liar, or B) you're a Johnny-come-lately that knows little about the frumma community you've been suckered into. Zeit matzlich.

[Fleishike Kishke]

matzliach.

[Adam Neira]

Interpreting the prophecies contained in the Tanach is a skill best left to very special people.

[Rebitzman]

Interpreting the prophecies contained in the Tanach is a skill best left to very special people.

And I'm sure these special people tell you that all the time.

[fishy]

Your average kollel man and wife are frauds. They steal from the government left and right to get every program under the sun. They are mora heter as they call it because its all leshem shamayim and it helps them learn longer in kollel. Just wait till lakewood gets raided. That will be the day

[seymour]

Posted by: Fleishike Kishke | October 31, 2011 at 01:16 AM

yes I know many too, on all programs yet bus expensive cloths has a maid every day and so on

not one but many

[fishy]

http://www.lakewoodlocal.com/2011/10/30/coach-bus-selling-kosher-phones-outside-bmg-for-beginning-of-new-zman/

[spacedout BT]

I live in Earl David's old neighborhood in Willowbrook Staten island and knew him for many years.If Davis is a chareidi rabbi then I'm Queen Vashti.

[Ron Jeremy]

I hope he rots is jail. That is what he deserves for robbing people.