Israel Police arrested 21 haredim from Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Ashdod, Yeruham, and Modi'in Illit Tuesday night and a 22nd haredi person Wednesday morning in a massive extortion scam meant to keep the floundering haredi HaPeles newspaper afloat.
22 Haredim Arrested In Massive Extortion Scam Meant To Save Failing Haredi PR Organ
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Israel Police arrested 21 haredim from Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Ashdod, Yeruham, and Modi'in Illit Tuesday night and a 22nd haredi person Wednesday morning in a massive extortion scam meant to keep the floundering haredi HaPeles newspaper afloat.
200 police officers, Special Patrol Unit officers, Border Police officers and police detectives participated in the six-month undercover sting, Ynet reported.
The arrested haredim allegedly threatened and coerced both business owners and managers and public officials into advertising in HaPeles, which is the mouthpiece of the Ashkenazi non-hasidic haredi rebel faction led by Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach.
The Jerusalem District Police special Fraud Unit reportedly started the investigation and sting operation after police received dozens of complaints from business leaders who said they were threatened and hounded incessantly by phone, e-mail, and fax.
Two of the arrested haredi men, both residents of Jerusalem and both reportedly well-known in the haredi community, allegedly ran a call center that was the base for the alleged extortion. The other 20 arrested haredim allegedly made daily contact with that call center. They had to use a special password to identify themselves and, once their identities were confirmed through that process they allegedly received orders detailing which business leaders to call and how frequently those calls should be made. The 20 haredim were also given the precise wording to use in each call. The suspects then contacted their targets dozens or even hundreds of times daily, harassing their victims untill the victims agreed to place ads in the failing HaPeles newspaper.
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