A Brooklyn Haredi Man Pleads Guilty To Using A Gemach To Launder Money

A Brooklyn man who operated a charitable organization, or “gemach,” today admitted his role in a money laundering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

 

Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Illegal Money Transmitting Business

U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey

TRENTON—A Brooklyn, New York man who operated a charitable organization, or “gemach,” today admitted his role in a money laundering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

David S. Goldhirsh, 30, pleaded guilty before Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to one count of a 14-count indictment charging him with owning and operating an illegal money transmitting business. Goldhirsh had previously been indicted with Rabbi Lavel Schwartz, 60, of Brooklyn, who pleaded guilty Thursday, May 24, to money laundering conspiracy.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Schwartz admitted that beginning in May 2008, he and his brother, Rabbi Mordchai Fish, met with Solomon Dwek, an individual he now knows was a cooperating witness with the United States. For a fee of approximately 10 percent, Fish and Schwartz agreed to launder and conceal Dwek’s funds, which were purported proceeds of illegal businesses, through a series of purported charities, also known as gemachs, for a 10 percent fee.

Fish would instruct Dwek to make checks payable to various charitable organizations, or gemachs, including Boyoner Gemilas Chesed (BGC), which was operated by Goldhirsh, who provided cash directly to Fish and Dwek on two occasions in exchange for checks made payable to BGC and at least five additional checks were deposited into the BGC account as part of other transactions. Fish previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2012.

The charge to which Goldhirsh pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced October 24, 2012.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward; and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge JoAnn S. Zuniga, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Comments

[Fleishike Kishke]

And still the Mendel Meshulach Network continues its global money-laundering at breakneck pace as if the government has never prosecuted anybody for this.

[ah-pee-chorus]

Not Surprised -

shame on you.

[Deremes]

ah-pee-chorus-
You love Dwek?
You admire him?
Ok hes a crook so you don't like him.Had he been an honest man would you admire him for running around informing on the 20 or so crooked citizens?

[ah-pee-chorus]

Deremes -
dwek is a slimeball. he did what he could to save himself time in prison. those he nailed are crooks too and should go to jail.

i disagree with Not Surprised's comment.
whats your point?

[Deremes]

I knew your answer in advance and that's why i asked you if "Had he been an honest man would you admire him for running around informing on the 20 or so crooked citizens"?

[seymour]

Yimach Shmom ! The Nazis should have wiped this a**hole and his family off the face of this earth

Posted by: Not Surprised | June 06, 2012 at 12:49 PM

no call for this

[seymour]

I knew your answer in advance and that's why i asked you if "Had he been an honest man would you admire him for running around informing on the 20 or so crooked citizens"?

Posted by: Deremes | June 06, 2012 at 01:50 PM

the reason these guys are in trouble is because of there actions stop diverting the issue

[ah-pee-chorus]

the reason these guys are in trouble is because of there actions stop diverting the issue

Posted by: seymour

right.

and deremes- why would you choose a comment i made expressing my outrage at someone wishing people dead at the hands of nazis as the appropriate time to question me on dweks place on the list of crooks, when your real goal is to deflect all attention and blame from the many charedim and rabbis exposed as lowlife cheats?
whether you view dwek as a "rat" , a reasonable man doing tshuva, or a normal man doing what he can to save his own ass, it doesnt change the fact that MANY rebbeim were engaged in fraud. and if dwek had chosen to spend his life in jail rather than being an informant, it wouldnt change that these guys were thieves. we just wouldnt know about them. and THATS what irks you.

[Deremes]

ah-pee-chorus,
From your cooment it seems like you appreciated what Dwek did informing and entrapping crooked citizens and especial that some of those were frum Jews.
Its uncalled for to curse his family.
I personally know one out of the 20 or so people he informed on.You don't have to believe me but i know for certain that Dwek YMS went to him numerous times asking and begging that person to do something which is illegal but not something really criminal that anyone including YOU would say that he belongs in jail.In the end he fell for it and was sent to prison.
Some of the conversation was played in court.
Btw,you still didn't answer my question.

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

This is good news for Goldhirsh. Prisoners are required to actually use soap when they shower.

[ah-pee-chorus]

Deremes-

if youre not a crook you dont have to worry about being caught.
what is your question exactly?

[Isa]

Crooks know other crooks
Honest people generally don't know crooks or rather the crooked side of people. So honest people are not able to inform on crooks

[Michael from Lakewood]

"I knew your answer in advance and that's why i asked you if "Had he been an honest man would you admire him for running around informing on the 20 or so crooked citizens"?"

Posted by: Deremes | June 06, 2012 at 01:50 PM

Deremes: If Dwek was honest, he would be a fictional character. Why are you concerned about judging an internet users feelings about a fictional character? It's bizarre.

Reasonable people here have asked, using different words, that you stop equivocating. Me? I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen.

[ah-pee-chorus]

"Had he been an honest man would you admire him for running around informing on the 20 or so crooked citizens"?

yes. if everyone would care about those ripping off taxpayers (especially while also besmirching the reputation of jews) then we'd all be better off.
but dweks motivation has no bearing on the other guys guilt. they are either crooks who were nailed by a self-serving dwek or
crooks who were nailed by a law-abiding citizen. youre just hoping to deflect the guilt onto someone else and hope nobody notices. well we noticed. you have no moral sense at all.