Pic Credit(Debbie Egan-Chin NYDN
The famous Herzog family – the largest worldwide producers of kosher wine – was recently victimized by an extortion plot involving solicitations for phony charities.
As reported by the Daily News, one of the Herzogs was regularly dispensing checks to individuals who had approached the family with the claim that they were collecting much-needed donations for yeshivas or recipients in dire financial need.
According to George Farkas, a well-known attorney who has represented several members of the Jewish community, the collectors would generally deposit those checks in the United States and then take the cash to Israel. Unfortunately, some of those “charity” cases turned out to be highly dubious; in such circumstances – or if other entities end up getting a portion of the donations – the arrangement is illlegal, according to a senior law enforcement source. “It smells, it just smells,” he said.
When the doubts about collectors’ veracity began to surface approximately a year ago, the Herzogs closed their bank account, generating questions from those who were then stuck with bad checks. In response, the Herzogs recruited Williamsburg resident Elimelech Horowitz to work out a settlement of those claims.
The story took a bizarre twist on May 3, when the 31-year-old Horowitz came forward and claimed that he had been kidnapped and subsequently released by masked men who demanded a payment of $35,000. Horowitz said that shortly afterward, a stranger left a menacing voice message on his phone, warning the Herzogs to pay that amount if they wished to avoid any serious recriminations.
“I know where you live, I know where you work, I know where your family lives,” a man asserted in the recording.
The worried family wasted no time getting in touch with Private investigator Joe Levin, who provided them with Armed security and referred them to Farkas. The attorney said he immediately had a strong feeling that the kidnapping story was a fabrication. In particular, one eyebrow-raiser was the statement in the phone message demanding that the extortion money be delivered before “Shabba,” a mistaken pronunciation of ‘Shabbos,’ even though the people receiving the charitable donations from the Herzogs were observant Jews.
When Farkas called Horowitz to his office to discuss the case in greater depth, it took no longer than 20 minutes for the visitor to admit that he had made up the incident. Horowitz had never actually been kidnapped, and in fact he confessed to having kept the thousands of dollars he received in order to settle the claims.
The members of the Herzog family were never in any real danger. “He hired some jerk on the corner to make the threats,” Farkas said.
After Horowitz promised that he would return all the funds to them, the Herzogs decided not to press any charges. “We are saddened that we were victimized for no other reason than our charitable generosity,” the Herzog family said in a statement.
According to the News, the Herzogs may not be the only Jewish community members to have been victimized by this type of charity scam.
A source claimed that solicitors from Israel often hire drivers to contact local Jews who are known to be wealthy, and inundate them with stories about fellow Jews living in the Jewish state allegedly suffering from extreme poverty.
The driver and a yeshiva or charity organization that cashes the check then receive a cut from the total amount, and the remaining funds are sent back to Israel.
As reported by the Daily News, one of the Herzogs was regularly dispensing checks to individuals who had approached the family with the claim that they were collecting much-needed donations for yeshivas or recipients in dire financial need.
According to George Farkas, a well-known attorney who has represented several members of the Jewish community, the collectors would generally deposit those checks in the United States and then take the cash to Israel. Unfortunately, some of those “charity” cases turned out to be highly dubious; in such circumstances – or if other entities end up getting a portion of the donations – the arrangement is illlegal, according to a senior law enforcement source. “It smells, it just smells,” he said.
When the doubts about collectors’ veracity began to surface approximately a year ago, the Herzogs closed their bank account, generating questions from those who were then stuck with bad checks. In response, the Herzogs recruited Williamsburg resident Elimelech Horowitz to work out a settlement of those claims.
The story took a bizarre twist on May 3, when the 31-year-old Horowitz came forward and claimed that he had been kidnapped and subsequently released by masked men who demanded a payment of $35,000. Horowitz said that shortly afterward, a stranger left a menacing voice message on his phone, warning the Herzogs to pay that amount if they wished to avoid any serious recriminations.
“I know where you live, I know where you work, I know where your family lives,” a man asserted in the recording.
The worried family wasted no time getting in touch with Private investigator Joe Levin, who provided them with Armed security and referred them to Farkas. The attorney said he immediately had a strong feeling that the kidnapping story was a fabrication. In particular, one eyebrow-raiser was the statement in the phone message demanding that the extortion money be delivered before “Shabba,” a mistaken pronunciation of ‘Shabbos,’ even though the people receiving the charitable donations from the Herzogs were observant Jews.
When Farkas called Horowitz to his office to discuss the case in greater depth, it took no longer than 20 minutes for the visitor to admit that he had made up the incident. Horowitz had never actually been kidnapped, and in fact he confessed to having kept the thousands of dollars he received in order to settle the claims.
The members of the Herzog family were never in any real danger. “He hired some jerk on the corner to make the threats,” Farkas said.
After Horowitz promised that he would return all the funds to them, the Herzogs decided not to press any charges. “We are saddened that we were victimized for no other reason than our charitable generosity,” the Herzog family said in a statement.
According to the News, the Herzogs may not be the only Jewish community members to have been victimized by this type of charity scam.
A source claimed that solicitors from Israel often hire drivers to contact local Jews who are known to be wealthy, and inundate them with stories about fellow Jews living in the Jewish state allegedly suffering from extreme poverty.
The driver and a yeshiva or charity organization that cashes the check then receive a cut from the total amount, and the remaining funds are sent back to Israel.
אברך חסידי, תושב שכונת ויליאמסבורג שבברוקלין, סחט ממשפחת הייננים 'ברון הרצוג' סכום של 35 אלף דולר. כך דיווח העיתון 'דיילי ניוז' היוצא-לאור בניו-יורק.
בעלי ייקבי 'ברון הרצוג', היקב הכשר הגדול ביותר בארה"ב ידועים לכל משולח כמו גם למנהלי מוסדות התורה. במשך שנים העניקה המשפחה תרומות ביד רחבה, עד לפני שנה.
לפני יותר משנה החלה חקירה סמויה אחר התרומות (פטורים ממס) שתרמו בעלי הייקב, זאת לאחר שמישהו בקהילה החרדית הלשין על פעילות בלתי חוקית הקשרה לתרומות של בעלי היקב. בכדי שלא להסתבך, החליטה המשפחה לסגור את חשבון הבנק שהיה מיועד לתרומות. התוצאה היתה: צ'קים רבים שנתרמו למוסדות "חזרו".
בכדי לטפל בפרשיה החליטה המשפחה לגייס את אלימלך הורוביץ, אברך בן 30, תושב ויליאמסבורג, שאמור היה לטפל בכל הצ'קים שחזרו. לפני שבועיים ביים הורוביץ חטיפה וסחיטה.
ב-3 במאי טלפן הורוביץ לבן משפחת הרצוג וסיפר כי רעולי פנים חטפו אותו ודורשים ממנו 35 אלף דולר תמורת שחרורו. משפחת הרצוג העבירה את הכסף להורוביץ, לאחר שקבלה טלפון אנונימי שאמר: "אני יודע איפה שאתה גר, אני יודע איפה שאתה עובד ואני יודע איפה המשפחה שלך מתגוררת". האנונימי דרש להעביר את הכסף עוד לפני "שבה".
הכסף הגיע אל הורוביץ, אבל משפחת הרצוג שכרה את שירותיו של חוקר פרטי, ג'ו לוין - שיחקור את הפרשייה ובעיקר את האיומים. ג'ו לוין התחקה אחר שיחת הטלפון שהתקבלה בבית משפחת הרצוג, וגילה כי האנונימי לא ידע להגות את המילה שבת, ובמקומה אמר: "שבה".
לוין ידע שכל התרומות שתרמה המשפחה נתרמו לאנ"ש, והקול האנונימי היה קול של גוי. החשד היה שהורוביץ ביים סחיטה. עורך הדין ג'רג' פרקש נכנס לתמונה וזימן את אלימלך הורוביץ למשרדו. לאחר שאיים על הורוביץ כי הוא יודע שביים את החטיפה ואת ניסיון הסחיטה, וכי הוא מעביר את הטיפול בפרשה למשטרה, הודה הורוביץ כי אכן ביים את החטיפה, וכי ביקש מגוי בפינת הרחוב לבבצע את שיחת הטלפון.
לאחר מו"מ בין עורך הדין לבין הורוביץ, סוכם כי הורוביץ יחזיר את הכסף למשפחת הרצוג, והרצוג בתמורה יסגרו את סיפור הסחיטה, ולא יעבירו את הטיפול בפרשה למשטרה.
מקור המקורב להורוביץ סיפר לעיתון, כי משפחת 'ברון הרצוג' חששו שהורוביץ יפתח תיבת פנדורה בעניין התרומות למשולחים.
יצויין כי מרבית המשולחים מישראל פודים את הצ'קים בארה"ב ומעבירים את הכסף לארץ, לפי החוק, הדבר אסור.
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