Brooklyn Rabbi pleads not guilty in tax fraud, money laundering scheme

LOS ANGELES: The grand rabbi of a Brooklyn-based Orthodox Jewish group and five other men accused in a tax fraud and money laundering scheme pleaded not guilty to federal charges on Monday.

Naftali Tzi Weisz, 59, the Grand Rabbi of Spinka, and the others were arrested after an indictment was returned Dec. 18 accusing the group of 37 counts including conspiracy, mail fraud and money laundering.

Authorities allege Weisz helped solicit millions of dollars in contributions to five Spinka charitable groups by promising to secretly refund up to 95 percent of the donations. That way, the contributors could falsely claim higher tax deductions, authorities said.

Prosecutors say that in some cases, donors received cash payments through an underground money transfer network involving business owners in Los Angeles’ jewelry district.

Prosecutors allege the scheme cheated the Internal Revenue Service out of at least $33 million (€22.42 million).

The other defendants named in the indictment are Gabbai Moshe Zigelman, 60, of Brooklyn, New York; Joseph Roth, 66, of Tel Aviv, Israel; Yaacov Zeivald, 43, of Valley Village, New York; and Alan Jay Friedman, 43, and Yosef Nachum Naiman, 55, of Los Angeles, as well as five Spinka charities.

It was not immediately known if the men had retained as attorneys.

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