Crown Heights Rabbi Pleads Guilty In Get Kidnapping And Extortion Case

Rabbi Sholom Shuchat pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark today to one count of traveling in interstate commerce to commit an act of violence. Shuchat, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was part of team of eleven men, allegedly headed by Rabbi Mendel Epstein and Rabbi Martin Wolmark, who extorted recalcitrant husbands into granting their wives Jewish divorces, known as a get. The gang allegedly used electric cattle prods and other torture devices to force the husbands to grant the divorces.

Above: Rabbi Sholom Shuchat

Crown Heights Rabbi Pleads Guilty In Get Kidnapping And Extortion Case
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Rabbi Sholom Shuchat pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark today to one count of traveling in interstate commerce to commit an act of violence, the APP reported.

Shuchat, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was part of team of eleven men, allegedly headed by Rabbi Mendel Epstein and Rabbi Martin Wolmark, who extorted recalcitrant husbands into granting their wives Jewish divorces, known as a get. The gang allegedly used electric cattle prods and other torture devices to force the husbands to grant the divorces.

Women allegedly paid Epstein approximately $100,000 for this service.

Epstein, who lives in Brooklyn and Lakewood, and his son, David were indicted in May on kidnapping conspiracy, extortion and related charges, along with Wolmark, Jay “Yaakov” Goldstein, and Binyamin Stimler.

Four other men who were part of the original wave of arrests last October — brothers Avrohom and Moshe Goldstein (Jay Goldstein’s sons), Simcha Bulmash  and David Hellman – previously pleaded guilty in the case.

Shuchat faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Ariel Potash, another man involved in the scheme, pleaded guilty last week, a source close to the case told FailedMessiah.com.

Sentencing for the men who pleaded guilty is scheduled to take place in November.

The trial of Epstein, his son, Wolmark, Jay Goldstein and Stimler is scheduled take place in February 2015.

Related:

All Rabbi Mendel Epstein Get Extortion Posts.

Comments

[EGAR]

The thought of a woman being miserable in a marriage and NOT being able to get out of it because her "HUSBAND" her "BELOVED" believes her to be a possession is so ludicrous. And, that others will become criminals to make that man grant a divorce...YIKES...how idiotic this is!

[Robert J. Barron, Attorney-at-Law]

A Rabbi? Pleading guilty to a CRIME??

But he comes from a good family!

But he's so...holy!

This must be SOLELY motivated by Anti-Semitism! That's what it is!

Hope he gets the max on his sentence.

He and his fellow lawbreaking scum are a disgrace to the race. I thought we were better than this.

[Josh]

Barron, you lowlife piece of scum. Do you know this guy? Do you know his background or his involvement in the case? Did you do an ounce of research on him?

If I were you I would kill myself after writing such a fucked up comment.

[jancsibacsi]

Josh--It takes one lowlife to know another lowlife trash,you despicable diseased mutant.

[Primetrades]

Josh. You are a typical frum stupid ass moron.

Baron is absolutely right.
Hope this sack of crap "rabbi", gets the max and gets to rot with Rubashkin. Seems like they are both the lubabitch asswipes.

They can daven to their stupid moshiach who is in der errd arein.

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

Josh, you must be a BT in Morristown; that's why you are so brainwashed and so vulgar.

Shuchat pleaded guilty to one count, in order to avoid a much lengthier prison sentence had he taken a chance and gone to trial. What more do I need to know about him? What research do I need to do when he already admitted to the crime?

He is a thug. At least he took the plea deal and so he is smarter than your other hero Rubashkin.

[ruvi]

I am told the sentencing guidelines are 1-3 years since he was not part of the actual case in 2011 in Lakewood.

[exgaon]

I rarely get so disgusted reading these comments, as I did from Josh's insane and evil diatribe. I do not wish him to kill himself, he will be rewarded for his f'axx remark. without self intervention.

[Chafraud-Depravitch]

"The gang allegedly used electric cattle prods and other torture devices to force the husbands to grant the divorces."

LOL... Al Kapota

100K for a get now? That's better than waiting for the planned giving, write us into your will scheme to pay off. Just some electric shocks and nobody has to die.

[Yosi]

Sholom is a good person, I know him from when he was a child, I hope he will not be send to prison.

[bendinai]

EVERYONE is seeing this WRONG!
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!

Here we see exactly what Chabad has been talking about....Jews coming together. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this is the first time where Litvishe Rabbis and Lubavitch Rabbis have reached across the isle to work in cooperation. Clearly the geulah is near. Yep, Moshiach is polishing the buttons on his coat as I type.

[The Fez]

Don't forget the payments to do this unholy work went into the pockets of the perpetrators

[flatearth]

Are these marriages recognized by the State?
Would the couple be able to file joint taxes?

If not, then they aren't legally married in the first place.

[bendinai]

@ Fez.....

The great defense of Wollmark is "are you crazy? Do you think he did this for the money? DO you know how rich his father in law is?!"

Well....as I told people who responded with that dribble, I dealt with him in business, and basically had to blackmail him to get $400 that he owed my for months and months. When I told that story, one guy piped in that Mrs. Waollmark once owed him less than $100 for a job he did in her house, and he could not get her to pay.

[anon]

Don't forget the other defense Brafman is floating. That Wolmark is a "world renowned Talmudic scholar."

[R Nash]

Jewish leadership must be able to find a line between allowing a wife to languish at the whim of a bullying ex and reviving Jewish gangster society. That is assuming they want to find a solution. That is assuming they exist. Is this the best they can do? We are a sad generation.

[johnjill]

im sorry guys but I don't get you all. these rabbis did a GOOD THING! They got dirtbag husbands to give gittin. I don't care about the money. They are allowed to charge for taking risks. But I fully support what they did....

[anon]

So would you also fully support armed robbery as a means to get rich people to support the poor? And taking money makes all the difference when you are claiming piety, especially when married to so much wealth, and especially when you are a world renowned torah scholar - not!

[schmul]

The feds have the rabbis on tape.
Once they go to trial and most
likely get convicted they will spend
the rest of their lives in prison.
If they had any brains they would
try to get a plea deal.

[m]

the shuchat family of crown heights are a family of gangsters and criminals .

how this sholom shuchat related to the shuchat of crown heights who beat up a young black teenager riding his bike , who fled to Canada ,then to Israel ?

brothers ?

[schmul]

These foney rabbis were only looking
for money.If they really wanted to help
the ladies did they have to rip them off
for thousands of dollars??? They are a
bunch of no good thugs.They were taking
advantage of an already bad situation.
They did not care about the ladies getting
a get. They were only looking to
enrich themselves.
It is almost certain that when they go
to trial they will be convicted.The
feds have them on tape.
They are a disgrace to the jewish religion.

[hymie]

It is a shame that the judge let
these thug rabbis out on bail.
It is almost certain that they will
be convicted when they go to trial.
Lots of evidence against them.
They are a danger to the community
where they live. Nobody knows what
they can do next.

[gail]

These rabbis only have a few more
months of freedom.Once they go to trial
it is almost certain they will be convicted.
The feds have them on tape.

[C.K.]

has anyone gone to prison yet in this case?