Haredi “Indiana Jones” Sentenced To Prison For Holocaust Torah Fraud

Rabbi Menachem Youlus was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison today – the maximum sentence recommended under the US Sentencing Commission’s guidelines.

Rabbi Menachem Youlus

Haredi “Indiana Jones” Sentenced To Prison For Holocaust Torah Fraud
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon sentenced Rabbi Menachem Youlus to 51 months in federal prison today – the maximum sentence recommended under the US Sentencing Commission’s guidelines.

Youlus pleaded guilty in February to defrauding donors who gave his charity hundreds of thousands of dollars to recover and restore ‘lost’ Torah scrolls that survived the Holocaust. But the supposed Holocaust Torahs were fakes, scrolls purchased by Youlus on the black market or from synagogues.

Actual Torah scrolls and fragments of Torah scrolls that survived the Holocaust do exist, but Youlus’s scrolls were not among them.

Youlus, who also owns a Jewish bookstore in Wheaton, Maryland, told donors he traveled the world to recover Torah scrolls lost or hidden during the Holocaust, including one he claimed to have recovered at Auschwitz and another from Bergen-Belsen.

"I guess you could call me the Jewish Indiana Jones," Youlus once claimed.

But Youlus almost never traveled overseas during the years he said he was scouring Europe for Holocaust Torahs. Instead, he bought old Torah scrolls in North America, refurbished them, and then sold then as Holocaust Torahs to synagogues across America.

Some of the money Youlus raised from donors to support the “rescue” of the “Holocaust Torahs” was actually used to pay his children’s private school tuition and for personal expenses like his meals and health care.

Youlus’s attorney Ben Brafman told the Associated Press that Youlus had actually “squirreled away" most of the money he stole, and claimed that the victims would get back all of their money.

"I will carry that shame and dishonor with me for the rest of my life,” Youlus reportedly told the court today. “… I know I have lifetime of atonement ahead of me.”

Much of the next five years of that will be spent in a federal prison that is yet to be determined.

Comments

[Jake]

Hmmm if he has any luck they will send him to the prison that the Spinaka Rebbe is learning in.

[dh]

He was humble and repentent but got the max while Rubashkin was arrogant, deceitful, shmuckful and didn't get the max. Clearly Her Honor MacMahon is an anti -semite.

[Simple Jew]

B"H

According to Shmarya and the rest of you anti SMR crowd:

This guy did everything you think would help to get a reduced or reasonable sentence but the judge gave him the maximum.

Reptenent and apologetic to the court/public
Making full restitution
Pled guilty as charged.

Sentence: MAXIMUM under the Federal guidelines.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: Simple Jew | October 11, 2012 at 11:49 PM

Do you think the judge is an antisemite?

Do you think pleading guilty ensures the lowest sentence possible?

We know you're not smart – you've proved that over and over abd over again.

And you've also proved that you never, ever, let facts get in the way of your cult beliefs.

All that said, try to get your inadequate mind and personality to process:

1. He was under charged because he cooperated, therefore even this sentence is lower than otherwise could have been the case.

2. If he would have made restitution before sentencing, he could easily have gotten his sentence further reduced. But he didn't do that.

[Abracadabra]

Why wasn't there a Pidyon Shvuyim fund for this frum man with 9 children? Surely he has children at home who are under the age of 18. Why wasn't $1-million collected for him for restitution so he wouldn't have gotten such a harsh sentence?

I mean, we weren't even asked to daven for him. No flyers. No posters. No assifos. No Tehillim rallies.

Why wasn't a PR firm hired to write newspaper articles and make videos?

Where is Lipshitz? Does the Yated have articles about this injustice? Did Matzav.com post articles by Lipshitz under a pen name to raise awareness of this rabbi's terrible plight?

Why is a frum man allowed to go to court to face a Federal sentence without our being asked to rally behind him?! I don't even know his mother's name for Tehilim!!

And surely a measly $1-million could have been raised for him. Much more was raised for Rubashkin and even for Weberman the pedophile.

What kind of Ahavas Yisrael is this?! Shame on us!

[Abracadabra]

Let's see, if 4.25 years was the sentence for 1-million dollars of fraud, how many years would that be for 24-million dollars of fraud?

102 years.

Gosh, Rubashkin got off easy!

[Darth Zeidah]

What is the point of all the pointillist portraits? Is this the newest fashion among bloggers?

[flailed]

Abra, let us not fall for what to our simple minds may seem like simple math. Might I draw you to the golden rule of sentencing calculations? “Hakadosh baruch hu chishav et ha’ketz.” 400 years becomes 190 in the eyes of the lord. How? It is all a very complex formula, which only daas toireh can extrapolate. Taken into consideration are things such as: Which is the fraudier fraud toireh vs. kashrus? Which career path ie. soifer vs. shoichet is more conducive to judicial semitism? Who was swindled in each situation, achim vs. akum? What is the ratio of convict beard bushiness to Kiddushashem? Your formula also does not take into account quantity discounts 1 for 4.25? I’ll give you 24 for 50, tops. Cash on the table.
Remember, mathematics is simply an unnecessary discipline to be toyed with only in unholy places, and cannot be said to conform to scientific inquiry. It’s like the carbon dating thing.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Dumb.

[nachos]

ohh great another Jew crook

[simple jew]

B"H

You are the one using the word antisemite regarding the judge. I didn't say that anywhere.

He had one of best frum lawyers around.

Maybe Ben Brafman can hire you to help him do his job better.

Ie restitutuion before vs after sentencing vs after would have lowered the sentence.

Y

[simple jew]

B"H

Also this judge is the same one who wrote book talking about how her RELIGION affects her work from the bench.

This judge is same one who sentenced mordechai samet to 27 years for conviction on $4million of fraud.

This judge is same one who claimed she was sentencing mordechai samet to 27 years because he wasn't remorseful.....

Do you think menachem youlus sounded remorseful?

Boths jews got maximum sentence from her.

She is same judge who uses words like chutzpah in sentencing a jew.

Anyone who thinks this is a fair sentencing is cold and heartless.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: simple jew | October 12, 2012 at 08:34 AM

When you man up enough to deal with the actual facts and evidence, let us all know.

[simple jew]

B"H

Listen to how compassionite she sounds talking about this father of 9 (I assume many minor) children:

"As nearly as I can tell," Judge Colleen McMahon of Federal District Court in Manhattan said, "the reason is that Mr. Youlus had a screw loose, that Mr. Youlus has this desire to be something he's not, which is an adventurer, a hero."

She thinks the guy is nutty..... so lock him in a cage for 4 years... that should help.

Shmarya why do you think religious jews see world through frum viewpoint..... cult members... brainwashed... but are confident colleen mcmahon who is a devout religious xtrian is surely able to divorce her rational mind from her religious motivations.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: simple jew | October 12, 2012 at 08:44 AM

You are an unmitigated ass and a moron, perhaps the dumbest person I have ever encountered here, a person so steeped in his cult, so immersed in it, that you would not know or accept the truth of God himself showed it to you.

Here is what Samet did and what he was convicted of under ***RICO*** – along with his co-conspirator Chaim Hollender and 11 other conspirators:

Samet was convicted of conducting and participating in the affairs of a racketeering enterprise (RICO) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c); mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341; wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343; bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344; and money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h). Samet was also convicted of filing, and conspiring to file, false claims against the United States.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Samet] operated a racketeering organization which used a wide variety of fictitious identities to commit a vast array of frauds, netting millions of dollars in profits. The Samet Group defrauded innocent consumers through a mass-mailing scheme based on fictitious monthly lotteries and phony charities.

The trial evidence demonstrated that the enterprise’s members created fictional personal and business identities in order to carry out a fraudulent leasing scheme in which the defendants, pretending to be business vendors, obtained funds, supposedly for business equipment, from leasing companies. They defrauded banks through millions of dollars’ worth of counterfeit and otherwise fraudulent checks. They defrauded life insurance companies by making false death claims, and defrauded federal and state tax authorities by seeking millions of fraudulent tax refunds for fictitious people. Additionally, they defrauded credit card companies by fraudulently disputing charges, claiming goods or services had not been received, when in reality the charges were for investments in a pyramid scheme that collapsed. They laundered the proceeds in the United States and overseas (primarily in the Middle East), concealing their activities and funding additional frauds.…

Judge McMAHON found that SAMET, HOLLENDER and their co-racketeers obtained more than $4million in ill-gotten gains.Samet stole from little people. He engaged in a wide-ranging number of different criminal frauds that spanned (in some cases) decades. He was convicted under RICO of racketeering, just like a Mob boss.

Simple Jew, you are a despicable person.

[jancsibacsi]

simple jew-You are a shoite ,the sentence isnt enough he should of gotten 10 years the reason him being a frum yid he should of known better the chillel hashem is beyond comprehention .

[simple jew]

B"H

You think Samet who has made full restitution should sit for 27 years? I don't know what would be fair for someone like him but no matter what it is a waste to lock him in a cage. Better he should be working regular job 9-5 and contributing instead of costing society.

You may not realize that prison industry is a big business.

Hundreds of milions of dollars and jobs.

Great show there shmarya.

I am not sure why you get pleasure from insulting people.

Let's assume you really believed I am simple, low iq, dumb, in a cult whatever..... so you use that to insult me?

This judge sounds like she doesn't let religion interfere with her fairness:
"I am not about forgiveness," McMahon said. "That is between Mr. Youlus and his maker. . . . For a member of the clergy to do anything to prey on the religious sentiments of his coreligionists fraudulently is a crime that turns my stomach in a way that few others do."

[Isa]

You trolls are a bunch of cry babies...

Federal prison is cushy especially he will be put in with other swindlers etc

It is NOT like a Texas prison where his job would be to slop the hogs at 4 AM, or be the cow barn 'cleaner'. Actually these 'jobs' are eagerly sought by the prisoners, you can imagine there are worst things to do.

Don't do your crime in Texas

[Shmarya]

Posted by: simple jew | October 12, 2012 at 09:18 AM

Idiot.

Samet did not make restitution – other people made restitution for him.

And that is a very different thing.

But you are far too stupid to be able to understand that.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: simple jew | October 12, 2012 at 09:18 AM

And I almost forgot – Samet's friends only made restitution AFTER he was sentenced, and that sentence ORDERED the restitution. It was not made by Samet and it was not made willingly.

You are a cretinous troll.

[ah-pee-chorus]

simple jew -

if we used your excuse for logic, then no thieves would ever serve time in prison since they would be more productive in the workforce. so what exactly is the deterrent to engaging in fraud? if youre caught you just pay back what you stole.

[ah-pee-chorus]

abra-

good points!

[simple jew]

B"H

Having 2 pay back 2 or 3 times is not same as paying back.

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

Much of the next five years of that will be spent in a federal prison that is yet to be determined.
-------------------------------------------

ק'ק Otisville comes to mind, where the greatest tzadikim and martyrs of our generation live.

It is our generation פומבדיתא‎ and and נהרדעא and when moshiach come he will first free the אסירי קידוש השם in Otisville.

As the heilige Kotzke Rebbe said:

אם תרצו, אין זו אגדה; ואם לא תרצו, אגדה היא ואגדה תישאר,

"If you wish it, it is no legend...."

[SkepticalYid]

Posted by: simple jew | October 12, 2012 at 12:44 PM

Do you understand the concept of deterrence? If anyone who committed a crime could avoid jail time by paying back their stolen earnings, there's no incentive to remain honest for criminals. So you take a chance and steal. If you're caught- so what? you pay it back. If you're not caught- you keep the money. Such a system won't keep people honest.

[You Lie You Lie to Us Youlous]

"I will carry that shame and dishonor with me for the rest of my life,” Youlus reportedly told the court today. “… I know I have lifetime of atonement ahead of me.” His lawyer described him as a person with a "compulsion to lie." In addition, he has been reorganizing his assets in order to keep them from those to whom he owes restitution. How fitting that a non-Jewish female judge sentences the frummie with an alternative thought universe. What type of teshuvah do you think he has planned for himself? This is a man who sized people up and cheated them out of money by selling non-kosher klafim, and Torahs under false pretenses. He took dishonesty to a new level. Now, that he actually has to face his crimes, suddenly, his wife and nine kids are so important and he wheels out his Baltimore friends to show that he is such a wonderful man. The judge had the last laugh. She said something to the effect of you are good to your friends but not to others. This sums up perfectly a very diseased philosophy in Judaism that mitzvot observance gives someone a heter on ethical behavior.

[simple jew]

B"H

Skeptical

Many people are honest because they believe in G-d.

Is the only reason you don't steal b/c of possibl long jail sentence?

If the penalty for getting caught stealing was you have to pay back 2 times or 3 times what you stole (which is how the torah deals with someone caught stealing)..... that would be enough of a deterrent to many people.

Long jail sentences obviously is not enough of a deterrent..... we have like millions of people in jail or on prbation in this country.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: simple jew | October 13, 2012 at 10:07 PM

You're such a moron.

The Torah penalty for theft was an upped repayment.

But that often didn't work, and there was a major problem with repeat criminals and with criminals lacking the means to repay.

So you know what the beit did with them, idiot?

***It locked them in prison.***

And I would note that the "many people" who "are honest because they believe in G-d" don't include dozens of haredi criminals, including the ones you regularly defend – like Sholom Rubashkin.

[Jonathan]

Shmarya,
Simple jew, has an opinion that you don't like...does that mean you should called him horrible names?
Your need to put people down always makes me wonder.

[Shmarya]

Simple jew, has an opinion that you don't like...does that mean you should called him horrible names?
Your need to put people down always makes me wonder.

Posted by: Jonathan | October 14, 2012 at 01:35 AM

Please.

You know very well that this moronic troll has been posting idiotic comments in defense of every haredi criminal imaginable for years.

Stop with your lies.

[Jonathan]

What lies?
All I said was I don't understand why you use so much verbal violence, when someone disagrees with you?
Strong arguments don't need ad hominems

[Shmarya]

What lies?

Please.

You know very well that he is a person who repeats the same illogical untruth and lies over and over and over again, and that he refuses to confront or deal with actual fact.

Dozens of people have tried to show him those facts but he is too much in a cult – a so very cretinous – that he can't understand them.

A person like this should not be treated with kid gloves, and he long ago lost any claim to being treated politely.

He's a troll. He's dishonest. He's an idiot.

And those are facts.

Now, again, stop lying and stop asking me to treat a lying, abnormal cretin as if he were a regular guy – he isn't and you know that very well.

[BaltimoreYid]

One of my many complaints about the frum is their simply unreal penchant for total denial. I am so sick & tired of lie, lie, lie, deny, deny, deny. The number of seemingly normal folks in shule who tell me Rubashkin, Dwek, Youlus, et al are innocent always causes me physical revulsion. Throwing around terms like "ehrlicher" to describe these and so many other con men just makes me wonder why I even bother. Could anyone out there point me in the direction of one rabbi here in Baltimore who isn't full of shit?

[BaltimoreYid]

Oh and "rabbi" Youlus: don't drop the soap.