The entire sentencing hearing transcript of Rabbi Fredrik "Fishel" Todd, the Lakewood-based US Army "General" (who really wasn't) who provided the US military with Orthodox and haredi chaplains. Todd was involved in the second Eliyahu Weinstein fraud and turned government witness.
Above: Rabbi Fredrik "Fishel" Todd
THE COURT: …I don't come to this in a vacuum. I don't come to this in a vacuum because I have presided over more cases from the Orthodox --involving the Orthodox Jewish community than I can count, and it is not only from the Weinstein case, the Weinstein fraud and its fallout, but from several other criminal cases that have found their way to this [court]room. I have had experience, I think, more than any other judge in this Court in dealing with criminal cases that come out of this community. And we have heard argument over and over again about the strength of the community, the close-knit community, the support that one another receives from being a member of this community, and now we're worried about whether Mr. Todd's family is going to be ostracized. Well, this affinity fraud to which Mr. Intrater refers is terrible. It has been going on for centuries, and it has got to come to a stop, and the only way it comes to a stop is if the people in the community put a stop to it. So, the fact of the matter is if Mr. Todd's family finds themselves ostracized in some way from the balance of the Orthodox community in Lakewood, they should be congratulated and comfortable in my view and set an example.…You know, it is a consequence of Mr. Todd's conduct. It is a consequence of what he did. And he is to be commended, and he is entitled to a downward departure under the circumstance that the government presents because I have no doubt that the Torres factors are met. His cooperation was timely. He came forward before being charged. Indeed, I dare say the agents didn't get to the word "remain," much less "remain silent" in the first conversation. His information turned out to be accurate. It was useful in the sense that they were able to confirm what they already knew. And to the extent there are social ramifications of his cooperation, well, so be it. I recognize that that's the case, and he is to be recognized for it, and I will, I'm going to grant the government's application. The question is to what extent. But there's no question that he is entitled to some consideration here because he did come forward, you know, but one thing I want to be clear about, to the extent it can be read in any of these memos that his testimony was going to be so critical to the government's case, to the investigation and to the proofs at trial against Mr. Weinstein, I want to just dispel that because, frankly, the government didn't need Mr. Todd. I have been through this. I have been through this case. I have seen --I have seen the records. We got the Chambers victims here in court. There are tape recordings. So, you know, there is evidence here that was going to be overwhelming, and Mr. Todd certainly is entitled to consideration because of what he did, but I want to be very clear about the fact that Weinstein in my view was going to be convicted whether he pled guilty or not.…
Read the entire sentencing hearing transcript here.
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