Matir Assurim:Haredi woman imprisoned for 10 years - suddenly released

Windy Rang, Haredi film director from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was accused of fraud and deception and sentenced to ten years in prison – was suddenly released from prison, six months after she was jailed.

Rang, 47, a mother of children, was accused of defrauding an organization which funds films by new directors. According to the indictment, she presented false documents to the authorities, for the purpose of raising tax credits and state incentives to produce movies. As a result, she received incentives worth $ 1.8 million, which, according to the prosecution, were unlawful. She appealed in the Circuit Court of Iowa, but the appeal was rejected.

During the trial, Rang published on her blog comments waged against the judge, against the prosecution and against the court. She accused the plaintiffs of anti-Semitism and her conduct aggravated the punishment.

Along with her, other defendants were accused, who claimed that she headed the fraud. Her fraud colleagues signed a plea bargain and testified against her. Eventually two partners were punished with probation and a high fine. Rang was sentenced to an unprecedented severe punishment of ten years in prison.

The precedential ruling caused the city's Jewish community claims that the judgment is infected with anti-Semitism, for an offense of this kind is usually sentenced with a suspended sentence and a substantial fine. Rang, on the advice of counsel, appealed the ruling, but the appeal was rejected.

Two children remained at home with her husband Pinchas - one of them was just before his Bar Mitzvah. Besides them, two other boys are studying at yeshiva, and a married daughter lives in Israel.

The prison authorities refused to allow her to attend the Bar Mitzvah of her son, and the whole community went out of its way to please the child and her family.

Half a year has passed and Rang again decided to try to file an appeal. On Friday morning she stood before the judge, and on her own - without a lawyer - tried to convince the judge of her justice, while implying there were anti-Semitic motives in determining the sentence.

"One of the hearings fell on Rosh Hashanah, the most sacred day to any Jew. I asked the judge to postpone the hearing and I proved to him that it is a sacred day, but he firmly refused to postpone the hearing," Rang told the judge.

Rang related to judge the bizarre behavior of the judge who dealt with her case, and the judge was indeed convinced that there was an unfair trial. After an hour of tension, the judge said: "If I were the judge in this case - things would have been different. You are free to return to your home and your children, and I will do everything that the prison authorities will quickly finish the paperwork so you can get home before Shabbos."

Indeed, the Rang couple managed to gulp the way home from prison in Iowa to Minneapolis, where she was awaited by her children alongside many of the haredi community members, who participated on Shabbos in a Seudas Hodaya.

Rang said that although she was certain of her justification, she did not believe the judge will release jer completely. "I thought she would detract from my punishment, but a total release was really a miracle," she said.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!