Rabbi who was shot in Poway synagogue attack is sentenced to prison for fraud

[Demovictory9]

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-05/former-chabad-of-poway-rabbi-yisroel-goldstein-sentenced-to-prison

AN DIEGO — The founding rabbi of a Poway synagogue who rose to national prominence after being wounded in an antisemitic shooting, and was then exposed as the perpetrator of multimillion-dollar fraud schemes, was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in prison.

In a rare agreement under even rarer circumstances, both prosecutors and defense attorneys had recommended home confinement rather than time behind bars for Yisroel Goldstein. They cited his leadership in the weeks following the 2019 attack on Chabad of Poway, the immense physical and emotional trauma the former rabbi continues to battle, and his cooperation in the FBI’s fraud investigation.

But the judge rejected that punishment as not appropriate given the severity of the crimes.

“You not only committed this offense yourself but you took a lot of people with you,” U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant told Goldstein, 60.

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The most prevalent of the schemes is known as the “90/10" fraud. Donors regularly made large charitable contributions to Chabad of Poway or one of its affiliated nonprofits, to be written off their taxes. But instead of the money going to the organizations, Goldstein secretly funneled 90% of it back to the donor, keeping 10% for himself. One donor got his donation returned in the form of $1 million in gold, prosecutors said.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Grifting in God's Name....

No matter what you call him.

[Sneederbunk]

2. It's home confinement but prison will be his home.