New York Paralegal Blog

TRENTON, NJ—Mordchai Fish, the principal rabbi of Congregation Sheves Achim in Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for conspiring to launder approximately $900,000 he believed was criminal proceeds, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

TRENTON, NJ—The chief rabbi of Congregation Sharee Zion in Brooklyn, N.Y., was sentenced today to two years of probation for operating an illegal money remitting business, after admitting he accepted bank checks in exchange for checks in lesser amounts from a charity he operated and controlled, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Saul Kassin, 89, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Deal, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to an information charging him with operating the illegal business in conjunction with the bank account of the Magen Israel Society charitable organization, which transmitted money to individuals and organizations in the United States and Israel. Judge Pisano also imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Kassin admitted that from June 2007 through December 2008, he operated an unlicensed money transmitting business, transferring thousands of dollars...

TRENTON, NJ—Mordchai Fish, the principal rabbi of Congregation Sheves Achim in Brooklyn, N.Y., admitted today to conspiring to launder approximately $900,000 he believed was criminal proceeds, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Fish, 58, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to an Information charging him with money laundering conspiracy. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in Trenton federal court: Fish admitted that beginning in early 2008, he met with Solomon Dwek, an individual he now knows was a cooperating witness with the United States. For a fee of approximately 10 percent, Fish agreed to launder and conceal Dwek's funds through a series of purported charities, also known as "gemachs," which Fish controlled or to which he had access. Fish admitted that prior to laundering Dwek's funds, Dwek repeatedly told him the money was the proceeds of illegal activity—including bank fraud, traffic...

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the sentencing of MUCHAEL STREICER, who conned his victim out of $36,000 by posing as a rabbi promising to buy her a Torah from Israel in 2005, then fleeing the country with her money. STREICER was sentenced on June 29, 2010, to 1 to 3 years in state prison. He made restitution to the victim in the amount of $36,000. "The defendant took advantage of someone's religious faith for personal gain," said District Attorney Vance. "The defendant's conduct was unethical and, in this case, criminal. This conviction and sentencing bring a measure of justice to a victim whose trust was exploited."