Rabbi Mendel Epstein and Rabbi Martin “Mordechai” Wolmark, the two masterminds of the kidnapping, torture and extortion scheme that
forced recalcitrant husbands to grant gets (Jewish divorces) to their
wives, could be out on bail as early as Friday.
Rabbi Mendel Epstein
Haredi Kidnap, Torture And Extortion Ringleaders Could Be released On Bail As Soon As Friday
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The two masterminds of the kidnapping, torture and extortion scheme that
forced recalcitrant husbands to grant gets (Jewish divorces) to their
wives could be out on bail as early as Friday, the Journal News reported.
Judge Douglas E. Arpert reportedly agreed release Rabbi Martin “Mordechai” Wolmark on a $5 million bond secured by property. Wolmark will also be confined to his home, wear an electronic monitoring device and surrender his passport.
“We are pleased the court accepted Rabbi Wolmark’s bail package. That he was able to offer $5 million in equity shows that his family, friends and community support him. We look forward to defending these allegations with the Rabbi a free man. We are posting the properties tomorrow and we hope he will be released by Friday,” Agnifilo reportedly said in an email to the Journal News.
Wolmark’s wife is the daughter of the late Zev Wolfson. Wofson, who passed away last year, was one of the richest Orthodox Jews in the world with a net worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Wolmark was in federal court today with his codefendants Rabbi Mendel Epstein, Ariel Potash, Binyamin Stimler, David Helman and Sholom Shuchat. Four other defendants did not appear.
Epstein’s bail package is reportedly similar to Wolmark’s. His wife and daughters agreed to put up five pieces of property valued at more than $4 million.
If convicted, all of the 10 defendants face sentences of as much as life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko reportedly urged the judge not to listen to claims about the defendants’ religiosity and argued that none of defendants should be released.
“Had we been talking about the mob or the Bloods or the Crips, we wouldn’t even be discussing a bond in this case. There’s no difference between them and these other gangs that engage in violent crime,” he reportedly said.
The Journal News did not report on any bail arrangements for Potash, Stimler, Helman and Shuchat.
Four other codefendants – Jay Goldstein, Moshe Goldstein, Simcha Bulmash and Avrohom Goldstein – have not yet had bail hearings.