New Jersey Rabbi Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering

The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger reports that yesterday Rabbi Eliahu Ben Haim, former head of a prominent synagogue in Deal, New Jersey, plead guilty in a New Jersey federal district court to money laundering charges. Ben Haim was one of five rabbis from the Syrian Jewish community and 39 others arrested last year in a high profile federal investigation of public corruption and money laundering. (See prior posting.) The rabbi used religious charities to launder $1.5 million purportedly from illegal activities provided to him by a government informant. According to a plea agreement, Ben Haim will cooperate in an investigation of his past tax returns, but he did not agree to cooperate in the prosecution of others in the case. Ben Haim remains free on $1.5 million bail.