Deal, NJ – Three years after the FBI charged him with bank fraud, Solomon Dwek has become the bureau’s key witness in a massive corruption and international money-laundering probe.
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Dwek, named in criminal complaints as “the cooperating witness,” was the hub who helped gather evidence against two assemblymen, three mayors and 39 others arrested in a sweeping FBI raid Thursday, according to sources.
Dwek, 36, of Ocean Township, formally became involved with the the FBI three years ago, on May 11, 2006. That is when he was arrested on charges of committing $50 million in bank fraud. He is free on bail.
He had deposited a phony $25.2 million check at a PNC Bank drive-thru branch in Eatontown, according to the FBI. He then wired most of the money away, leaving the bank without the funds to cover the check. He tried to cash another $25 million the next day, but it was refused by the PNC Bank, which sued Dwek on May 3, 2006. A real estate mogul who bought his first property at age 20, Dwek had been revered by many in the close-knit Sephardic Jewish community before his arrest for his frequent acts of philanthropy.
He often lent money to families as well as students at the Deal Yeshiva, a religious school founded by his parents that educates students in the Sephardic Jewish tradition, several community members said.
Dwek’s father, Rabbi Isaac Dwek, and his mother, Raizel, founded the Yeshiva more than 20 years ago. Solomon Dwek served as vice president at the school before his arrest. Rabbi Dwek, the school’s president, and Raizel, its treasurer, both resigned from their positions after Solomon Dwek’s arrest.
Solomon Dwek’s wife, Pearl, also worked as a secretary at the school.
More than 80 banks, companies, former business partners and others eventually claimed Dwek owed them in excess of $338 million. Dwek was forced into bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy proceedings are continuing and the criminal case against Dwek is still pending.
‘Cooperating witness’
In Thursday’s criminal complaints against the public officials and rabbis, Dwek is unnamed. But the FBI’s “cooperating witness” is described as a person “who had been charged in a federal criminal complaint with bank fraud in or about May 2006.” Sources have confirmed that the witness is Dwek.
According to acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra Jr., the cooperating witness assisted law enforcement personnel by helping them infiltrate a pre-existing international money laundering network.
The network, connected to Brooklyn, N.Y., Deal and Israel, laundered tens of millions of dollars through charitable, non-profit entities controlled by rabbis in New York and New Jersey.
Dwek told targets of the money-laundering investigation that he was involved in illegal businesses, including the sale of counterfeit Gucci and Prada bags, as well as insurance scams and bank frauds.
The witness also openly discussed his bankruptcy proceedings and said he was attempting to conceal cash and assets, Marra said.
According to court documents, one tape-recorded conversation with Eliahu Ben Haim, a 58-year-old Long Branch resident who is principal rabbi at the Ohel Yaacob Synagogue, the cooperating witness presented Ben Haim with a $50,000 check and described it as the proceeds from “that guy who was holding. . . my money for me on that Florida insurance, uh, scam that I did.”
According to records and sources, the check, drawn upon an account for a fictitious company set up by the FBI, was made payable to a charitable foundation operated by Ben Haim, with the expectation that the proceeds would be returned to Dwek at a later date. Ben Haim was to take a 10 percent fee for his services, according to the FBI charges.
Ben Haim was charged Thursday with money laundering.
During a June 2008 conversation with Mordchai Fish, 56, of Brooklyn, Dwek provided Fish with an $80,000 check and said it came from the profits from a business that produced counterfeit Prada and Gucci merchandise, according to information from court records and sources.
“You know I invested four hundred thousand in that company where we switch the labels from the Prada, the Gucci, and stuff like that,” Dwek told Fish. He assured Fish and Lavel Schwartz, 57, of Brooklyn, that the bankruptcy court was unaware of his investment. according to court documents and sources.
Both Fish and Schwartz were charged Thursday with money laundering.
Dont deal with people who have had run ins with the law
in a way you have to feel sorry for this guy who’s destroyed many lives including his own family’s.how will he ever be able to live with himself?
All should realize that no matter who you are, what position you hold, or how much respect you obtain within the community; your day will come. How greedy can people get to go ahead and deal with a ganev!!?? What is wrong with people. Oh by the way, for every 20 guys they arrest, there are hundreds more out there getting alleyos, kibudim, and front seats at the rebbes tisch. This is a sad sad day in our modern day history. Hopefully only good things will come about from this groundbreaking eye opener into what really goes on with your local gmach and the wealthy “gvirim in the area lo aleynu.
sounds like a setup to me.
מחכים לך בגהנים ביחד עם היטלר
Why would anyone even deal with him? Wasn’t it obvious he was setting them up?
I see that this Dwek is a plain idiot, because he himself his in a deep cramped hole in which the charges on him were not dropped yet & becomes a witness on the assumption, that he will be freed . What an Idot. This is an Idot without ant sense . Like they say that an animal has no sense .
send him to Japan
what a shaigetz to shlep his own brothers in to trouble for hes own interest …
i know rabbi fish , he has done tremendous kiruv work for the community ‘he is a real tzdik , he does not have a penny to his name and lives in poverty his whole life , this is a shame from a fat drek pig to trap him in this , shame on the feds , it is about time that the communities start supporting the rabbi’s so they can put food on the table and don’t have to scramble to this activity just to survive !!!!! yiden this is not a joke start to support your rabbis and leaders with at least a salary they can live on !!!! the community is at fault that this can happen!!!
שלחן ערוך חושן משפט (סימן שפ”ח ס”ט) שהמוסר ישראל ביד עובד כוכבים בין בגופו בין בממונו ואפילו היה רשע ובעל עבירות ואפילו היה מיצר לו ומצערו אין לו חלק לעולם הבא. ובגמרא (פרק קמא דראש השנה ועבודה זרה כו, ב) עוד דהמוסרין יורדין לגיהנם ונידונין לדורי דורות וגופן ונשמתן כלה.
In the good ‘ole USA you’re innocent until proven guilty. So far everything is an allegation. Let’s keep the commandment to judge everyone favorably. But it looks terrible, all the same.
Mesira is a terrible thing. How many yidden in history gave up their lives rather than be moiser another yid? Hopefully, we should never find ourselves in such situations. It’s terrible what we have come to in our quest for money. The Jewish community has to stop having such high standards and living like they are wealthy upper class, when the majority are not. Our tuitions are sky high, the majority of stores on coney island, lee avenue, kingston avenue and thirteenth avenue are high end, expensive stores selling expensive stuff. Why? if the majority cannot afford it, why are we living above our means?
Time to revert back to the pre-kollel days of going to college (gasp!) and earning a living without having to pull shtick.
I feel bad for everyone involved. Dwek made some bad criminal choices and then the Feds put his balls in a vice grip and started squeezing. That does not make it right to trap your friends but you get the idea. I also feel bad for the administrators of all these moisdes that are strapped for cash and they can’t pay there bills. A guy like dwek makes them such a juicy offer it ain’t easy to refuse. That doesn’t make it right, but you are allowed to feel bad.
to me it seems like outright entrapment. these guys werent involved in these things until this animal came and ensnared them into this. its not like they went looking for this until the animal dwek came along.
Because of this selfish animal, yes animal – yidden who rely on gemachim to live, won’t be able to anymore! Because of this animal, yidden will not be trusted, yidden will suffer all over the world because of this animal!! This animal needs a shcita. Thays the only way!
Sol dreck should be hung in the mikvah! Setting up his own rabbis, “freinds” and even relitives, I have no words!! Hashem yazor!!
he does’nt have to go to japan, i know people that are going thru much much more in the medina shel chesed then in japan!! the box in usa jails are much worse then japan! got it?
The Rambam Nizakin 8:10 states: “It is permissible to murder one who is deemed an informant anywhere even today that we don’t judge capital cases, and it is even permitted to murder him before he informs by just hearing him say, “I will inform on said individual with regard to his physical body or his money”. This even applies for an insignificant amount of money. He thereby has doomed himself to be killed, and we warn him and we tell him “do not inform”, if he is defiant and he says,”No, I will still inform” it is a Mitzvah to kill him and whoever seizes the opportunity first to kill him will be rewarded.”
The Rambam Tshuva 3:12, and chovil U’mazik 8:9 writes: “there are two kinds of informers, one who delivers his friend to gentiles to kill or injure him, or one who conveys his friend’s money to the gentiles… neither of these (informers), have a portion in the world to come”.
Dosen’t the federal Gov’t have anything better to do than ti entrap and entice otherwise law abiding citizens to do illegal acts? Aren’t there enough boafide criminals to bring aprehend and bring to justice that they have to resort such practices and go to such lengths wasting our precious tax money at the same time?They are preparing a place in sheoil tachtis for this guy dwek guy right next to the Kassirer guy from LA.
entrapment. in addition, cw1 (and there appears to be onl one) can easily be discredited in front of a grand jury.
It sounds like some of the victims tried to help dwek. He likely played the ‘rachmones’ card to get these fine hearted people to ‘help’ him. (Of course, the FBI just releases little soundbytes.)
The system is messed up.
Kids should be sent to college and get a profession so that they could attempt to support themselves.
With the tremendous financial pressures in the community, it is unfair that people dont even have a chance to make it and they try to get involved in quick illegal money.
To all you people who think you have the right to say what you want about the dwecks;
What would you do if you were in his position.
The halachah by someone who was threatened to be killed unless he desecrated one of the big three, and he gives in to the pressure, is that we do not call him a rashah, we do not put him in cheirim and we certainly don’t slander him.
The reason, the man was threatened with a humanly unthinkable prospect that one can not put himself in a position to view it and no one can say about themselves what they would do in his position.
I think the same applies here, look up his family history and who his parents are and you’ll understand what I’m saying.
his parents rabbi and rebitzen dwek are very special people they helped my family out over the year they do not deserve to go threw this gehinam from there son
This is what the FBI does they show you an offer you cant refuse…. total setup……..
In law there is a concept of ‘agent-provacateur’ (French term).Theoretically, at least, he was the instigator of any violation of law(s)by the individual(s) who should be exonderated-in theory, at least.
dweck probably set the rabbis up so that he can look like a hero and get out of jail time. this whole story is so sad. what a terrible bunch of lies…
The tactics that the FBI used in this case reminds me how the KGB used to operate.
someone should do s/t that he will learn his lesson!!! chutzpah like this makes me want to puke. i hope e/o in their community will stay away from his family including is children. Maybe he will then learn a lesson. besides he will still end up sitting. Unbelievable story!!!!!!
Does this mean we’re about to get another series of Hiss-oi-r’ruus gatherings for women to dress more modestly ? When will our Roshei Yeshivot & our Rabbis speak out against THESE fiscal shenanigans, against the lack of ethics in business dealings & stop laying everything on how our woman dress ? Unfortunately, many of our woman do need to be more Tzniut in their dress but it is high time that our leaders address the other social ills of our society.
Reply to #33
And that condones entraping an 87 year old rabbi, the leader of a congregation? Ashkenaz or Sephard irrelevant of the matter, what was done is pure rishus, and entrapment. You have a person who went and initiated a bank fraud, and when he got caught, to get out of the mess he created, he goes and entraps people? They didnt go to him, he went to them looking to ensnare and entrap them, how terrible. may hasem yisborach deal with the perpetrator appropriately.
A MESSAGE FOR DWEK;
You have never had respect in this town. No one has ever been “afraid” of your so called “status” here. You are just a lying, thieving, snitching, low life. You are only looked upon as a morbidly obese slug.
Signed,
A large group in Lakewood who has seen first hand the horrors you have committed in this town.
If in fact these people were running schemes of corruption perhaps they were in the category of rodfim?
Compromising the integrity of Tzedakos, Gemachs & Mosdos Hatorah, puts everyone in jeopardy with the government, and jeopardy with HKB”H.
I’m just struggling for a limud z’chus here.
Hashem please help us return the true glory of Torah to its rightful place in the world.
That is how the holocaust has started. When the jewish communties started taking advantage. Madoff is also jewish we are being looked after all the time. It is are job in golus to lay low. What are we waiting for???????
What makes so many people think that college is the answer to the $$$ problem in our communities? Just look at the statistics of college grads who are unemployed. In these hard economic times, a college degree is almost worthless. You are just left paying the student loans.
Oh, and if you can’t afford tuition, how can you afford college?
“This is what the FBI does they show you an offer you cant refuse”
An offer you can’t refuse? Yidden arent given koichos for bechira anymore?
Please. See all of sefer likkutei amarim if you believe it is impossible to refuse an offer.
As to the person who says this reminds them of the KGB. You have no hassaga whatsoever of how the KGB and the communist government operated.
The KGB hunted down and schemed against yidden envolved in harbatzas torah not yidden envolved in stealing and bribery etc.
I am not coming to do anything other than respond to the ridiculous comments made here.
The emes is that we should learn something very important from this while simultaneously refraining from passing judgement or slandering the accused.
(Doing so would surely not be good in any way)
It happened once again the good being blamed. The rest do not care for others so WHAT’S there to blame. Shame on the non-doers
to number 66 if college is so bad how come many yeshiva guys will not go out with a girl unless she has some kind of degree so she can support him?
I wonder sometimes how people justify actions that they know are wrong? Wait, I do every time I drive over the speed limit. You say to yourself, who am I hurting? I am not going to get into an accident. You refuse to understand that you put others in harms way by speeding. You are busy and what is an extra 5-10 MPH going to matter. This is exactly how good people lose their moral compass.
It is also how some justify software piracy. Who does it hurt. They have already paid for the cost of development and the cost of duplication is next to nothing, so my taking it and not paying for it is not theft!
Some people justify predatory behaviour as doing business. For instance the government programs meant to equip children with computers and telecommunications equipment. Somehow some individuals say its ok to sell second generation and bill for first. This is a crime against the entire community! The individuals involved will justify themselves by saying that because of their actions they are getting something.
Insurance scams, death bonds, nursing home fraud, the list goes on.
Too many people have the attitude its us versus them. We are the world we make with one another.
We can learn something from what some would call savages. The San Bushmen of Africa live in a society of no money. Then again, they are hunter gatherers, and nature provides for them. They give each other gifts that they collect in their daily routine. They have no concept of ownership of land, or political leadership.
Reading about them made me think, that maybe we have all lost something in our modern world. Everything seems to revolve around position and money, and surviving this world we live in. Maybe we all need to move to the country and live a more simple life, perhaps farming communally.
Their are places in this country where land can be had as low as $500 an acre.
Why not build out community land where the poor do not need hand outs but can survive on their own, by their own honest hard work?
I am a secular Jew, whom some would look down upon. I look up to some of you, and feel sad that the events have hurt both the perpetrators of the crimes, their families, and the victims. I feel compassion for the perpetrators because I can understand how easy it can be to lose your way. I only hope that I may help some as they have helped me.
I’m sorry if I have been a bit incoherent, drifting from thought to thought.
We all know what Dweck did and why he did it..Please remember do NOT do anything stupid to bring him down because you are Tampering with a Federal witness who is fully protected by the FEDS..They will follow your trace and next thing you will hear is that Vos is Neis has beed supbenaed for your information..
I heard that he was wearing a wire, so discrediting him as a witness won’t work. That takes a lot of guts, to wear a wire talking to Rabbi Kassin. Sort of reminds me of Big P Bompansero on the Sopranos. Wait – on second thought, there wasn’t really much risk that Rabbi Kassin and Pauly Walnuts would take him for a cruise if he was caught at it. What an unbelievable coward. And why did he have to keep saying that the money was from a fraudulent business? Just to be mevayesh Rabbi Kassin even more? It seems to me that Dwek became very enthusiastic in his role as the Defender of Justice.
Where can a guy like this hide? The frum community worldwide is so small, everyone will know who he is as soon as he pops out of whatever hole they’re hiding him in. Witness protection? No way. I assume he’s eventually going to go to shul somewhere, or that his kids will go to school… Who will be meshadech with his kids? Seems to me that he made a very bad cheshbon. This sort of makes you admire Madoff – he took his licks and didn’t roll over on anyone.
Now the feds just need a weak link to turn on others who were doing the same shtick. I’ll bet there are some folks who aren’t sleeping well these days.
i have always been in awe of the syrain community & thier level of bitachon & emunat chochomin, I am certain they will unite & get thru this respectfully!
Dwec worked, exactly like a prostitute (Like Bnos Midyan) to tease and subdue his pray.
The FBI uses such Zonahs, Like Dwec all the time.
So we can call the FBI a house of prostitution, where they reward the Zonah’s (like Dwec) for their filthy work in order to capture their pray.
Our Tax dollars are used to support the FBI prostitution-house.
Rabbosai: We live with such corruption, as quote in the news a “non-ethics zone”… and so many heimishe people are caught.. bec. they don’t learn anything besides gemara.. and dont understand the law at all! They think breaking the law is like doing an aveira.. for the law there is no yom kippur to “klap al cheit”.. if youre caught, there are consequences.
For those that say that college is the answer, we know that that will never happen.. But, how about starting with teaching our young children to read and write english normally.. I’m referring to chassidish yeshivas (some more than others).. but there are lots of illiterate young men out there, who can’t read an english document, but know exactly how to launder money…
we need to daven and have emunah in these hard times
>we need to daven and have emunah in these hard times<
We need to start following the laws of the country and also using our G-d-given common sense!