New York: the blackmailer of Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto admitted fraud and deported

Ofer Biton - a former associate of Rabbi Yeshayahu Biton, pleaded guilty to visa fraud in New York and probably will be deported to Israel.

Ofer Biton, an Israeli Ashdod offender who was being detained pending in New York on illegal fundraising for Rep. Michael Grimm, admitted a plea bargain visa fraud.

Biton's confession, may affect the investigation of campaign contributions to Rep. Republicans who won a seat in Congress as a joint representative of State Island and Brooklyn.

According to the indictment filed against Biton in August, he enlisted for prohibited donations from different people; some without U.S. citizenship so that the member of Congress will help them get citizenship.

According to the plea bargain Biton was released under restrictive conditions, although a judge can still sentence him to six months behind bars.
Biton was arrested a year ago, but refused to cooperate with the investigation. His trial is set for next month and is expected to face deportation proceedings to include his wife and two children.

Plea agreement does not mention the cooperation condition, but most such cooperation may stand behind other agreements with Biton.

Pinto's Extortion

Biton is also at the center of the investigation of millions on suspicion he extorted Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto, to whom he was close to in the past.

Biton who made a living in the past marketing of profanity, approached Rabbi Yeshayhu Pinto, repented, and went into real estate under the Rabbi and people identified with him.

Biton was the rabbi's right-hand man in New York, and on the chapter stood an important transaction of the rabbi and a building for a yeshiva on East 58th Street, a yeshiva intended to be a Jewish spiritual center in New York.

Biton was employed for transaction management and fundraising for purchase. He was the messenger to communities near and far, and has received tens of thousands of dollars from donors all over the globe.

Rabbi suspected Biton pocketed money donated by people close to him personally, and cutting himself coupons and deals. Biton was then targeted by the fundraising campaign of Republican Michael Grimm's representation in New York in the 2010 election to Congress.

According to the New York Times, "Biton helped converts raise more than 500 thousand dollars from Jewish and Israelis donors who are associated with him through his job with Rabbi Pinto.

Rabbi suspected Biton. From the first stage the books of the yeshiva were scanned by the Chief Accountant and the findings were problematic. When the rabbi asked for explanations Biton left the yeshiva.

According to a complaint later filed by Pinto and some FBI men, Biton extorted in response to the rabbi and demanded money together with his partner for stopping leaks to the press about the mental state of the wife, and the financial condition of the yeshiva.

"We need a lot of strength and faith to get through the difficult days before us," said the Rabbi on July 2011, before hundreds of his followers.

Investigation of complaints Pinto produced indirectly to the FBI information about a much larger case for them: Prohibited fundraising campaign of Michael Grimm. The authors set aside the great extortion case and focused on the suspicion, that Biton promised Israeli donors assistance in obtaining a green card if Grimm is selected.

Besides checked suspicious that donors names were forged because they cannot contribute due to the lack of U.S. citizenship or Green Card. Most donors were investigated testified and incriminated Biton, but this serious case was set aside.

Since moving to an open interrogation Pinto is defined by the FBI as a protected witness. And Federal detectives are watching him and his family, and visit often at 'Shuva Yisrael' yeshiva.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!