Back in the 1960s Harry Kemelman began writing books about Rabbi David Small, including several bestsellers such as Friday the Rabbi Slept Late and Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry. They’re cozy mysteries, and are worth your perusal.
However, that’s not what I’m writing about this evening. Naftali Tzi Weisz, head of an Orthodox Jewish group (he is “The Grand Rabbi of Spinka”), was indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, mail fraud, money laundering, and operating an illegal money remitting business. Weisz and other associates are accused of soliciting charitable contributions to Spinka charitable groups totaling in the millions by promising donors that they could take the tax deduction and that the charity allegedly would refund 95% of the donation. And that scheme is, if proved, definitely not kosher.
Weisz and his alleged co-conspirators are looking at several years at ClubFed if convicted on all counts.
[…] I’ve reported on Spinka before. The Grand Rabbi of Spinka, Naftali Tzi Weisz, was jailed for two years for his part in a charitable donation (but not really charitable donation) tax fraud scheme. […]