Less than 30 months after being sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the largest corruption sting in New Jersey history, cooperating witness Solomon Dwek was released from federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland. He was transferred to a residential re-entry center in Baltimore where his family now live, and was immediately transferred from there into home confinement.
Above: Solomon Dwek
Solomon Dwek Gets Out Of Prison Early
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Less than 30 months after being sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the largest corruption sting in New Jersey history, Ponzie-schemer turned federal cooperating witness Solomon Dwek was released from federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland, NJ.com reported. He was transferred to a residential re-entry center in Baltimore where his family now live, and was immediately transferred from there into home confinement.
"He's under supervision and there are certain restrictions and rules he must follow," a US Bureau of Prisons spokesman, Ed Ross, reportedly told the paper.
Even though he will be monitored, Dwek will be able to leave his residence to go to work, for medical and dental appointments – and even for some family social events.
"The purpose [of home confinement] is to help them transition back into the community. They seek employment or go to work," Ross said.
Dwek – the son of a prominent Syrian rabbi –stole millions in a large bank fraud but agreed to help prosecutors catch corrupt politicians. Dwek did that, but on the way also helped the feds catch several Syrian and Ashekenazi haredi rabbis who laundered millions of dollars through their charities and committed other crimes. The 2009 sting and subsequent guilty please sent shockwaves through the Orthodox and haredi communities.
A Brooklyn haredi man, Levi Itzhak Rosenbaum, was also caught selling black-market kidneys.
In all, 46 people, most of them politicians, were arrested.
Dwek began cooperating with prosecutors and the FBI after he was caught running a $400 million real estate Ponzi scheme – a fraud he has never been charged for.
Dwek deposited a worthless $25 million check drawn on a closed bank account. Almost immediately, Dwek wired out the $25 million to cover a short-term loan before the bank realized the check was bad. When he tried to do the same thing again the next day, he was arrested.
Dwek could have served 30 years in prison for the bank fraud alone, but instead Dwek pleaded guilty and agreed to help the government catch crooked politicians.
Prosecutors wanted a light sentence for Dwek, but US District Judge Jose Linares – frustrated with Dwek’s crimes, including a small scam he ran while out on bail that included lying to the FBI — refused.
Linares said the amount of crime Dwek committed was "mind-boggling.” Linares sentenced Dwek to 72 months in prison, ordered him to make $22.8 million in restitution, and barred him from any future involvement in the real estate business.
Dwek served 16 months in prison after his bail was revoked by Linares when Dwek was caught lying to the FBI. With good behavior credit earned while in prison, he was scheduled to be released in September, approximately six months from now.
In all, 46 people were charged in the Dwek sting:
• 34 pleaded guilty.
• 4 were convicted at trial.
• 2 were acquitted.
• 1 died before trial.
• 1, Yolie Gertner, an Israeli who allegedly acted as a courier moving laundered cash between the US and Israel, disappeared the day of the July 2009 arrests and is still at large.
• And charges were dropped against 4 others. Among those sent to prison, former Guttenberg Councilman Vincent Tabbachino died in prison while serving a term of more than three years. He had been convicted of bribery and attempted extortion, and later pleaded guilty to money laundering.
Dwek was widely labeled a "moser" (forbidden informer) by haredim and haredi and Orthodox Syrian Jews. Under halakha (Orthodox Jewish law) a moser can be killed by vigilantes. Even in times and locations where that type of murder is illegal – as it it is here in the US – a moser is still shunned and ostracized by the haredi community, and often by the Modern Orthodox community, as well.
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