הגביר, המקובל ו'הרב' המתווך

FBI Links 2 Military Shootings, Probes 3rd

WASHINGTON -- The FBI has linked two recent shootings at military buildings in the Washington D.C. area and is investigating a possible connection to a third shooting that happened within the last 24 hours.

In the early morning hours of October 19 police and FBI investigators responded in force when six shots were fired into the south side of the Pentagon, leaving bullets embedded in two different windows. Just two days earlier, police in Quantico, Virginia responded to a similar attack on the Marine Corps Museum, where bullets were also fired at windows in the early morning hours.

The FBI announced Tuesday it determined those shootings were carried out with the same weapon, which police said at the time of the Pentagon shooting was believed to be a high-powered rifle. Ballistic testing is now also underway for a third shooting that occurred sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning at the Marine Corps recruiting station in Chantilly, Virginia.

So far the FBI has yet to identify any suspects. No one was injured in either attack. The section of the Pentagon that was hot was under construction and at the time no workers were there. $20,000 worth of glass panels were destroyed at the museum, but none of the museum's artifacts -- including a harrier jet hanging near the damaged windows -- were hit.

The shootings all occurred with 40 miles of each other, and in the case of the Pentagon and Museum shootings, circumstances suggest the shots may have come from major highways that run past the buildings. The Pentagon faces I-395 on its south side, while the Marine Corps Museum sits just off the northbound lanes of I-95. At one point the Pentagon police closed down portions of I-395 to search for shell casings. A cleaning crew at the museum in Quantico called police when they noticed the bullet holes in windows high up in a part of the building that faces Interstate 95. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps recruiting station sits just over 100 yards from route 50, a 6-lane road that connects Washington to Virginia's suburbs.

For the Pentagon it's the second incident of its kind this year. On March 4th a gunman opened fire at a security checkpoint into the Pentagon in a point-blank attack that wounded two police officers.

The shooter, identified as John Patrick Bedell, 36, of Hollister, Calif., was shot in the head by police moments after the attack began and died hours after being admitted to a hospital in critical condition. Authorities had no motive for the shooting, but there had been signs that Bedell may have harbored resentment for the military and had doubts about the facts behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Rabbi ??? 'Murder-for-insurance' plot thwarted in B'klyn

מעצרו של חיים מאיר ויזל מסיגט ע"י האף בי איי
Pic By T.O.T. Private Investigations














A Brooklyn man was charged yesterday with trying to arrange a murder to collect on the would-be victim's life-insurance policy.

Jacob Vizel, 54, was arrested by the FBI after an undercover informant secretly recorded him plotting a murder-for-hire scheme that involved poisoning a man with sleeping pills, authorities said.

When the plot was uncovered a week ago, the FBI was already probing Vizel in a $12 million mortgage fraud, officials said. Agents uncovered the murder scheme when their informant taped Vizel discussing it, the feds said.

"You invite him for a coffee together," Vizel said to the man he allegedly hoped would carry out the assassination, according to a transcript of the recording. "You can give him some tablets?"

Authorities would not discuss the amount of the policy, the relationship between the two, or why Vizel was the beneficiary.

Burglars steal Torah from Phoenix synagogue

PHOENIX - An expensive copy of the Jewish religious text known at a Torah has been stolen from a Phoenix synagogue and police are asking for the public's help to identify the culprits.

Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson says the Torah and several other religious items were missing early Monday when the Young Israel Synagogue was discovered to have been burglarized. The synagogue is on Maryand Avenue near 7th Street.

The Torah is the most revered article in a Jewish synagogue.

Anyone with information about the burglary or the stolen items is asked to call Phoenix police.

Charlie Sheen trashes room at Plaza Hotel in coke-fueled rampage

A drugged up and naked Charlie Sheen -- just two months out of rehab -- allegedly trashed his room at The Plaza Hotel early today in a frantic bid to find his wallet and cellphone after partying with a hooker, authorities said.

Hotel security called police just after 2 a.m. where they found the hard-partying Sheen after a woman called the front desk from the famed Eloise Suite, sources told The Post.

Tables and chairs had been thrown around the room and a chandelier was also damaged, sources said.

The damage to the luxury suite reportedly totaled about $7,000.

see more videos "The Two and a Half Men" star was accompanied to New York Hospital by his ex-wife Denise Richards, who was staying in a separate room at the Eloise Suite on the 18th floor, sources said.

Sheen, who was only a week away from completing his probation, told cops he was drinking and had snorted cocaine before flipping out, sources said.

But Sheen's rep later said the actor was taken to the hospital after an allergic reaction to medication.

Stan Rosenfield, a spokesman for Sheen, said the actor is expected to be released Wednesday.

The suite where the call came from is named for the popular children's book about a little girl named Eloise who lives on the top floor of the tony hotel.

Sheen was not injured, but checked himself into the hospital for a psych evaluation.

Sheen, 45, also told police he had been "out partying," sources said.

After he returned to his room with an unidentified woman, he noticed his wallet and cellphone were missing, causing him to fly into a rage, sources said.

A police official said the woman in the room with Sheen was an escort.

The hooker called the front desk from Room 1832 -- which features a pink-and-white stripped door -- and reported that Sheen was passed out on the bed.

Life & Style magazine reported on its website that the woman was screaming inside a locked closet.

"She was fearing for her life and was naked," a source told the website. "Charlie was incoherent but started screaming slurs at the cops. They recognized him immediately and gave him two options: they could take him to the hospital or take him down to the station. Charlie chose the hospital."

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said no complaints were made and there was no arrest. Sheen was not expected to face any criminal charges.

Sheen was in town with Richards, 39, and their two daughters, who were also staying in the hotel.

TMZ.com reported that Sheen had recently been drinking again, shortly after he entered his guilty plea in his domestic violence case, and that his friends feared he was hanging around the wrong people. He was spotted drinking again at the Playboy Mansion in August.

Richards was in the city to promote her series "Blue Mountain State" and the family had gone to see "Mary Poppins" on Broadway while in the Big Apple.

Sheen, Richards and their kids were spotted around the city this past weekend.

In an interview this morning on Howard Stern's satellite radio show on Sirius XM, Richards did not mention the Sheen incident and Stern did not ask because he didn't know about it yet.

"Charlie is a very unique, colorful individual," he said about him. "A lot of men look up to him.

When she brought up that they were together in New York this week, Stern asked, "Is it really comfortable?"

Richards laughed and quipped, "It's been a very eventful trip."

Last year, Sheen had been arrested in Aspen, Colorado following a fight with then-wife Brooke Mueller, in which she called 911 saying that he had tried to kill her with a knife.

Sheen, who has admitted to using cocaine in the past and paying for hookers, cut a deal to avoid jail time by entering a rehab facility for 30 days.

Sheen has had a troubled past. In 1996, he was charged with attacking a girlfriend at his California home. He later pleaded no contest and was placed on two years of probation.

Two years later, his father, actor Martin Sheen, turned him in for violating his parole after a cocaine overdose sent him to the hospital. He was ordered to undergo a rehab program.

He also had a very bitter and public divorce with Richards, the mother of Sam, 6, and Lola, 5

Orthodox Attorney Fired As Spring Valley Village Attorney

Village attorney Ryan Karben got fired today and got a police escort out of Village Hall

Mayor Noramie Jasmin fired Village Attorney Ryan Karbentoday for not doing the job she expected of him.

Jasmin said tonight that she fired Karben because he didn’t “fulfill my expectations as the village attorney.” She didn’t provide specifics.
“I gave Ryan a full year,” Jasmin said. “I gave him a chance to work with the village ... In the village of Spring Valley we are facing a lot of issues. I expect people, when they work for the village, to fulfill their tasks.”
Jasmin contradicted police statements that officers escorted Karben from the building, as part of the normal routine.
She said she doesn’t have a replacement in mind, but plans to take her time and interview attorneys.
Karben, a former Rockland legislator and assemblyman, declined to comment.
“I am not going to comment on my discussions with the mayor,” Karben said, adding that she’s a friend. “The mayor speaks for the village.”
Jasmin appointed Karben in December after she won election. He previously worked as a deputy village attorney.
Trustee Demeza Delhomme said Jasmin spoke to him about Karben. He wasn’t in the village today.
“The mayor told me there was an incident,” Delhomme said. “She didn’t explain it to me. I have no idea what happened. The mayor has the right to bring people in and take out people.”
Karben, 36, served on the Ramapo Planning Board before he turned 20, then won election to the Rockland Legislature in 1997 after graduating from law school.
Karben won an Assembly seat in November 2002. He resigned in 2006 amid allegations of improper behavior with legislative interns in Albany. He said he resigned to spend more time with his family and on his law practice.


In December 2008, he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired by alcohol and served a night in jail on a two-day sentence.

Lakewood developer charged in $200M Ponzi scheme seeks new attorney

Accused Ponzi schemer Eliyahu Weinstein is shopping for a new criminal attorney.
Ephraim Savitt, the New York City-based lawyer who represented Weinstein in his preliminary hearings, on Oct. 14 asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Esther Salas for permission to be relieved as Weinstein's counsel.
"The reason for my application to be relieved is that I have waited — to no avail — to be properly retained," Savitt wrote in his letter to the judge. "Should the retainer preconditions be met in the near future, I hope the Court will entertain my motion to re-file a notice of appearance."
Savitt also wrote that Weinstein is "in the process of retaining other counsel."
In an e-mail Monday, Savitt said the retainer preconditions to which he was refering were "agreed-upon fee payments."
"I am in the business of helping people who need help, and that's what I did by fighting to get my client out of jail over the government's strenuous objections," Savitt said in the e-mail. "I just don't want it to become a hobby."
Weinstein, a real estate developer, was charged on Aug. 12 with having masterminded a $200 million scheme to defraud his investors. He and another defendant, Vladimir Siforov, were charged with defrauding a bank and defrauding an investor.
Siforov remains at large.
Weinstein was released from a Hudson County jail in late August on $10 million bail and a list of restrictions.
The $10 million was secured by liens on property owned by his parents, sister, brother-in-law and two men who Weinstein has never met.
The restrictions placed on Weinstein include 24-hour house arrest, GPS monitoring with exclusionary zones — no airports — and the forfeiture of passports belonging to Weinstein, his wife and children.
Weinstein's travel is limited to New Jersey, and he is only allowed to leave his house to meet with his attorney, medical visits and religious observances.
The U.S. Attorney's Office argued against bail, saying that Weinstein was a high flight risk.
Weinstein faces about 50 years in prison if he is convicted of all charges.
But Savitt argued that Weinstein knew the government was going to arrest him for some time, and during that period of time made a number of overseas trips, returning every time.
The case is on hold until Sunday to allow both sides to negotiate a deal, according to court papers.
Weinstein could not be reached for comment.


Eliyahu Weinstein Arrested (8/12/10)

'Dirty' dentists drilled

Nearly two dozen dentists connected to the alleged Medicaid mill Dental Plaza were hit with criminal and civil charges yesterday for their role in a $16 million scam.

The 22 dentists, some of whom collected more than a $1 million each from the state over a four-year period, are accused of conspiring with alleged mastermind David Ibragimov to pay down-and-out Medicaid recipients as much as $20 to lure them to his clinics, according to papers filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court.

Four dentists were charged with criminal grand larceny and insurance fraud, according to the attorney general. The others were charged civilly.

It is illegal to give Medicaid patients gifts as an inducement to get treatment. Dental Plaza operated at locations in Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx. Dentists at the clinics had to turn over two-thirds of their Medicaid proceeds to Ibragimov via three shell companies, prosecutors charge.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly got freebies at Harvard Club

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has gotten a free ride at the Harvard Club for the last eight years, with meals, drinks and membership dues covered by a private foundation, a website reported Monday.

Membership dues of about $1,500 a year at the exclusive club for Harvard alumni on W. 44th St. - along with the tab for Kelly and his guests to dineand drink - are picked up by the nonprofit NewYork City Police Foundation, according to nypdconfidential.com.

Kelly, who got a master's degree in public administration at Harvard, has declined to hand over the names of the guests he entertains to the foundation's board, the website reported. The police foundation funds special programs not covered by the NYPD's budget.

Kelly has failed to disclose the foundation's coverage of his expenses in his financial filings to the city's Conflicts of Interest Board, The New York Times reported last night. High-ranking city officials are required to disclose gifts exceeding $1,000.

The only such gifts Kelly has reported since 2004 are five plane rides to Florida last year and six in 2008, all provided by and shared with Mayor Bloomberg.

A police source confirmed that Kelly will amend his financial disclosure forms with the Conflicts of Interest Board.

Kelly will report that the foundation paid the estimated $1,500 in dues

Robbers Show a Creative Side

Dan McCaffery, an FBI special agent in the New York office's Violent Crimes unit, said most robbers make some attempt to hide his or her identity. The type of disguise usually depends on the type of robbery, he says.

For instance, Mr. McCaffery specializes in tracking sophisticated South American stick-up crews that target jewelry stores and jewel carriers. For those criminals the most popular disguise is an old standby: ski masks.

"The reason being it shows the least amount of identifying information; it conceals you face, your hair, your complexion," Mr. McCaffery said. "A close second, I would say, is hoodie sweatshirts with bandanas pulled up over the face."

David Caskey, the FBI's Bank Robbery Coordinator in New York, says that among bank robbers, "very few wear anything other than a baseball hat and sunglasses."

"In a lot of jobs customers and other tellers don't even know the bank is being robbed," he said. The bank robbers "usually want to get their money and just get completely out of there without drawing any attention."

At the other end of the spectrum has been the series of New York robbers wearing unusual masks over the past few months.

Around lunchtime on June 24, Shana Spalding, 28 years old, is alleged to have donned a cat mask that covered the upper-half of her face before pulling a gunpoint robbery at the Arche shoe store at 10 Astor Place in the Village. Reports said her take was $86. Ms. Spalding, who sang in a death-metal rock band called Divine Infamy under the stage name Purgatory, was arrested in late August after allegedly pulling another robbery, without a mask, at a SoHo store. She is currently being held at the Rikers Island jail.

As detectives were still looking for the "cat woman," the "Bouquet Bandit" struck. Carrying a bouquet of flowers rolled in a pink cellophane wrapper in front of his face, Edward Pemberton, 44, allegedly passed a robbery note to a teller at the Bank of Smithtown in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood and made off with $440. Unfortunately for Mr. Pemberton, the flowers didn't totally obscure his face from the surveillance cameras, and days after his photo appeared on the front pages of two of the city's newspapers, he was arrested. Police said Mr. Pemberton confessed to six bank robberies, including incidents during which he used a bouquet of roses and a potted plant to divert attention. Mr. Pemberton is also awaiting trial.

On July 22, the day after Mr. Pemberton was arrested, a man in a Darth Vader helmet and a blue cape walked into a Chase bank in Setauket on Long Island. A customer, who thought Lord Vader's robbery attempt was a prank even though he was brandishing a handgun instead of light saber, was shoved to the ground when he refused to comply with the robber's demands to hit the floor. The costumed bandit then robbed a teller and ran, and has yet to be captured.

Nor has a man who, while wearing football pants and carrying a pair of red football shoulder pads and helmet, in August attempted to rob a Burger King restaurant at 655 Rockaway Turnpike in Meadowmere on Long Island. He ran off empty-handed when he saw two employees run out of the restaurant and call for help.

Earlier this month, a gunman dressed in all black and wearing a mask that resembled Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" entered the kitchen of a Dunkin' Donuts in Farmingdale through a back door and announced a robbery. However, the man aborted his attempt when a dishwasher sprayed hot water on him using a sink hose.

That these suspects haven't been caught yet isn't too unusual.

Of the four major violent crimes—murder, rape, robbery and assault—robbery is by far the hardest to solve. According to FBI statistics, only slightly more than 28% of all robberies ended in arrest in 2009. By comparison, two-thirds of murders, 41% of rapes and 57% of assaults were closed out, according to the statistics.

"It's not like TV, when CSI comes in and they're able to pull hair and spit and they're able to instantly get a picture of the suspect on a computer screen," Mr. McCaffery said. "If you go into an armed robbery, you're wearing gloves, a hat and sunglasses; those can be hard cases to solve."

That has proved to be the case in the most recent and perhaps most bizarre of the string of uncommon-disguise robberies.

A 15-year-old was riding his bicycle in front of a strip mall on Route 25A in Rocky Point on Long Island when he was approached by two men wearing gorilla suites and another dressed in a chicken costume. One of the gorillas punched him in the head, knocking him off his bicycle. The chicken then grabbed the bike and pedaled off with the two gorillas running behind him, police said.

"We're still following the banana peels," a Suffolk County detective joked before passing a call from The Wall Street Journal to his boss, Detective Sergeant John Best.

Mr. Best said that when they first heard the call, police found it hard to believe it wasn't a prank, and subsequently there have been more than a few jokes about it in the squad room. On the other hand, the detectives haven't lost sight of the fact that a 15-year-old was assaulted, received stitches and had what Mr. Best said was his "prized-possession," his decked-out bicycle, stolen.

"It sounds amusing but what you still have here is three people who brazenly attacked a kid," he said. "So it's a serious investigation and we treat it as such."

Mr. Best said that even though the robbers wore attention-grabbing outfits and struck in a usually-busy shopping plaza, there have been few witnesses. Detectives checked every costume shop in the area but came up empty, and the few leads they received didn't pan out.

"The costumes do hinder our investigation at this point because the victim can't identify them by face," Mr. Best said. "They could walk by him on the street and he wouldn't recognize them."