Conspiring of crime in Satmar

United States Attorney's office, FBI, and NYPD announced the filing of a federal criminal charge accusing Shimen Liebowitz and Aharon Goldberg with colluding to kidnap and murder an individual in order to obtain a "Get" that he refuses to give his wife. Liebowitz and Goldberg were arrested yesterday while meeting to plan the abduction and murder. They will be presented later today before Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman in federal court in Manhattan.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “The defendants are charged with an awful plan to kidnap and murder the intended victim. Over months, the accusation affirmed, they met frequently to plan the abduction and paid over $55,000 to an individual they hired to carry out their plan. Liebowitz and Goldberg are now in custody.”

They planned to kidnap the victim and force him to give a Get to his wife, they allegedly decided to add murder to the crimes. According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court.

In early July, a confidential source contacted the FBI and reported that Leibowitz and Goldberg had hired someone to kidnap a particular individual in order to force the Intended Victim to issue a Get to his wife. Leibowitz is a member of the Satmar community in Kiryas Yoel, Monroe, New York and Goldberg is an Israeli rabbi who also maintains a position of influence in Monroe.

The FBI received information about a conversation between Liebowitz and Goldberg P' (the individual they hired for the job)on July 6 or July. Throughout the meeting that was recorded, P' fabricated interest in partaking in the abduction.

The three discussed how such a kidnapping may work out, including the possibility of enticing the Intended Victim to Pennsylvania in order to kidnap him, beat him, and force him to give the get. The three also discussed the possibility of kidnapping from Ukraine, where the Intended Victim planned to travel for Rosh Hashana. Goldberg and Liebowitz agreed to advance $25,000 for P' to assist the planning of the crime. According to p', within days of this initial meeting, an envelope containing approximately $25,000 cash was delivered to him.

On August 9, 2016, P' met with Liebowitz and Goldberg in Kiryas Yoel, New York. During this meeting, they discussed additional details of the kidnapping plan, covering logistics and expense linked with a plan to kidnap the Intended Victim overseas. This conversation was recorded as well.

On August 12, 2016, P' again met with Liebowitz and Goldberg and they paid him of over $20,000 for making arrangements for the kidnapping. In this meeting, which was also recorded, they further discussed their plan to kidnap the Proposed Victim in the United States and to obtain the Get.

Following the meeting on August 12, 2016, P' had additional conversations with Goldberg , in which Goldberg addressed his desire not only to kidnap the Intended Victim but also to kill him.

On August 25, 2016, P' met Liebowitz in Central Valley, New York. During the meeting, Liebowitz paid P' an additional sum of $12,000 to carry out the abduction. During the meeting, P' spoke to Goldberg on the phone (as he was still in Israel), about the plan, which P' and Goldberg referred to in code as a “wedding,” as well as Goldberg's desire to kill the Intended Victim (recorded).

On September 2, 2016, P' had another recorded conversation with Liebowitz , during which Liebowitz indicated his understanding that the Intended Victim would be murdered as part of the plan.

Liebowitz , 25, from Monroe, New York, and Goldberg, 55, from Bnei Brak, Israel, are charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, with maximum potential sentence of life in prison, and one count each of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison.

קישורים:
Liebowitz and Goldberg complaint

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