That's right. Moshe Rubashkin is now a felon for the second time, and the Crown Heights Community Council – headed by Moshe Rubashkin – is headed by a felon awaiting sentencing.
Crown Heights residents elected Moshe Rubashkin head of the CHCC only a few months after his parole. Rubashkin served more than one year on federal bank fraud charges.
But Rubashkin, who at one point promised to leave the check writing to other council leaders, was in fact involved in another fraud.
Details in the extended post below…
Building owner admits to storing chemical waste
Man's son also pleads guilty to lying about who owned the property
A Brooklyn, N.Y., man pleaded guilty Monday to storing chemical waste at his former textile mill in Allentown, and his son pleaded guilty last month to lying about who owned the building, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Moshe Rubashkin, 49, ran Montex Textiles at 1101 S. Sixth St. until about 2002, then stored chemical waste at the site without a permit, according to a statement released from the office of U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan.
Sholom Rubashkin, 28, also of Brooklyn, lied to federal investigators when he said his family didn't own the building during the time the chemicals were stored there, the statement says.
As part of the plea deals, Moshe and Sholom Rubashkin agreed to be held responsible for paying the government $450,000 for the site cleanup. The money will be divided between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Allentown.
Moshe Rubashkin pleaded guilty to one count of illegal storage of hazardous waste without a permit. Sholom Rubashkin pleaded guilty Jan. 7 to one count of making a materially false statement. The charges were recommended by a federal grand jury.
Sentencing for Moshe Rubashkin is scheduled for July 16. Sholom Rubashkin is scheduled to be sentenced March 18. Each faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Montex was a textile dyeing, bleaching and weaving business at S. Sixth and Cumberland streets.
Fires at the building prompted the EPA to initiate a major cleanup of the property in October 2005. The cleanup included removing containers of hazardous waste.
Allentown fire officials ruled that a blaze on April 19, 2005, was arson. There were three other fires at the old mill that year -- May 19, July 21 and July 25.
Here's a copy of the Federal indictment.
Here is the press release from the US Attorney issued at the time of indictment. Curiously, the release was not widely circulated by the US Attorney. New York City newspapers and other media appear not to have been sent the release. This makes little sense because both Rubashkins live in Brooklyn and their attempts to defraud were based in Brooklyn.
You'll also note that, based on the USDOJ's description of the crimes committed, more severe charges could have been brought against Moshe and Shalom Rubashkin.
Further, based on information FailedMessiah.com received over two years ago, more Rubashkin family members and confidants could have been charged.
This might lead one to suspect that the USDOJ is going light on the Rubashkins.
Why would this be?
Perhaps because of who now sits in the White House and, more specifically, who was the US Attorney General at the time the indictment was filed.
Moshe Rubashkin's brother-in-law, Rabbi Milton Balkany, has deep Republican connections and has himself been in trouble with the US Government. Balakany walked away from a scheme that saw him misappropriate almost $1 million dollars meant to aid handicapped children.
Did Balkany pull some strings to save his brother-in-law from more severe charges and other members of his extended family from indictment?
Time will tell.