Three haredim were reportedly arrested earlier this month for allegedly falsifying documents, defrauding the government, receiving money fraudulently from the National Insurance Institute, and fraudulently providing certificates of mental disability to more than 60 young haredim trying to dodge the military draft. 7 psychiatrists were brought in for questioning and were then released to restrictive house arrest.
3 Haredim Arrested In Large Fake Mental Illness Draft Dodging Scheme
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Three haredim were reportedly arrested earlier this month for allegedly falsifying documents, defrauding the government, receiving money fraudulently from the National Insurance Institute, and fraudulently providing certificates of mental disability to more than 60 young haredim trying to dodge the military draft.
Details of the case were first released for publication yesterday, Ynet reported.
Undercover investigators found the three suspects offered young haredim authorizations which would allow them to be released from military service due to mental disability. The three haredi men allegedly fraudulently obtained psychiatric documents confirming mental disability.
The ring sent the young haredim of draft age to psychiatrists, who provided them with the fraudulent certificates. Each of those confirmations allegedly cost NIS 1,500 ($426). These fraudulent certificates were then given to the IDF to obtain draft exemptions.
The hared draft dodgers also received prescriptions for sedative injections, which they were supposed to receive at their HMOs. Instead, the ring leaders replaced the prescription sedative ampoules with ampoules of Vitamin B12 made to look like the sedative, and the haredi draft dodgers brought these to their HMO’s nurses who then administered the shot of the ‘sedative.’ The nurses gave the haredi draft dodgers certificates that they had received a sedative shot, and the draft dodgers gave the certificates to the IDF. Based on this, the haredi draft dodgers were granted draft exemptions.
Ring leaders also sold haredim fraudulent certificates of mental disability issued by psychiatrists for a one-time fee that reportedly ranged from NIS 1,500 ($425) to 50,000 ($14,000). They also reportedly used the name of a recently deceased psychiatrist to provide forged certificates.
These certificates were given to the National Insurance Institute by the haredim, who then received pensions ranging from NIS 4,500 ($1,277) to 7,000 ($1,987) per month.
The ringleaders also allegedly laundered the money from their crimes through shell corporations.
Police claim one of the suspects admitted to the charges against him. The other two suspects denied all the charges against them, as did most of their customers.
Seven Jerusalem psychiatrists were called in for questioning. Each was reportedly released to house arrest for five days and were banned for having any contact with the three suspects.