EXCLUSIVE: CrownHeights.info Exposes Tzedaka Fraudster Who Swindled Hundreds of Thousands To Live A Lavish Lifestyle

by CrownHeights.info

One of the character traits that define a Jewish person is Tzedaka, and we are taught not to ask too many questions to those who need. This is a very beautiful thing until you discover that you’ve been scammed.

Yitzchak Ostrozynski looks like your average red-headed Lubavitcher. He has a beard, dresses the part, and knows how to press the right buttons to get what he wants. And what he wants is money.

From as early as 2018 and likely earlier, Ostrozynski was reported as contacting his friends from Yeshiva with urgent requests for money. It was always a dramatic sob story, and many gave regularly to help with what was portrayed as medical issues, family problems, and dire needs.

According to a local Rabbi who investigated Ostrozynski, one of his earliest ploys was the need to fundraise money to pay for a headstone for his father’s grave. The pitch worked well until it became apparent that his father’s grave already had a headstone, and the money was going elsewhere.

An expert “fundraiser”. Ostrozynski took a page from some of the greatest fundraising experts, asking many people to give weekly, monthly, and even yearly donations. For many, their maaser money went to him.

His story was always paper-thin and hard to pin down. A wife having a mental breakdown, a family member in need of expensive therapy, but when someone would poke a hole in his story, he would use a quick tongue to talk his way out of it and “disappear”.

Constantly looking for his next target, Ostrozynski was reported to use as many as seven different phone numbers to text and call people looking for Tzedaka.

Ostrozynski also borrowed from many Gemachs and private people, promising to return the money with elaborate stories, but ultimately leaving them holding an empty wallet.

In one case, he asked a person for money “desperately” needed on Erev Pesach. This found a hard audience when the Tzedaka organization which was assisting him with his “Pesach Needs” discovered what he was doing.

His undoing began when his friends, many of whom gave large amounts of money, would watch social media posts of him and his wife eating lavishly at expensive restaurants, staying in high-end hotels, and living the “high life”.

While the true extent of how much was taken or on what it was spent will likely never be known, CrownHeights.info was able to verify hundreds of thousands of dollars in borrowed monies that were never returned.

With the Tzedaka raised, one person involved estimated that Ostrozynski brought in approximately $300,000 a year between all his schemes. Doing so for multiple years.

An attempt to help Ostrozynski and stop him from targeting other Lubavitchers began in 2020, when a group of Rabbonim, Mashpiim, and activists sat down with him in an attempt to unravel his story, and salvage the money he had taken.

It was in vain.

Ostrozynski continued to target gullible families, generous Lubavitchers, and unsuspecting organizations. Families lost entire savings, and in one shocking case, a young orphan was swindled of his inheritance money.

Without any recourse, local rabbonim and mashpiim requested that CrownHeights.info publish his identity, in the hopes that awareness will save others from further falling prey to his scheming.

This article was compiled from conversations with victims, Rabonim, and activists who were involved in this case.

39 Comments

  • Shocked

    If he could only channel some of those skill in the right way some of our mosdos could use a successful fundraiser.

  • Unfortunately

    I know ppl hurt by him, and their credit is shot 😢

    Buying a home becomes complicated

  • potential

    he used to call me all the time… but after asking a few questions he revealed himself to not hold ground. never gave him

  • He owes me $500

    He owes me $500 and 6 friends of mine as well in the range between $250-$1000 owed to each.

    • Cee

      He called me every year with a sob story. Luckily, I never lent him money, just gave him my maaser.

  • If it is true

    The Rabbanim and Mashpiim should have signed their names to this, otherwise this is a Pashkvill and pure Loshon Horah, and you owe him to ask him Mechilah B’Rabim.

    L’Hoir what the Gemara says, we have to thank hashem for the those who trick us into giving Tzedakah, bc if not for these people Hashem would have a valid complaint against us for not giving Tzedakah as we should.

    • chossid

      Shame on you, that you doubt this as a וי צדקתך when hundreds of families were robbed. if it would know the facts from the people themselves, you wouldn’t write this silly comment. Many people in the community and abroad are suffering from this scammer.

    • Rivky

      As someone who has been “scammed” by him, I agree. I would love to see names of Rabbonim and Mashpiim.

  • Dovid

    Many fundraisers live lavish lives! Most take 49% which is why I try and give direct!
    Maybe he was taking more for himself!

    • Michoel

      Dovid makes a very good point. This article fails to consider that people with lavish lifestyles also need more money than the average Joe. How else could they support a lavish lifestyle? Hello?

      The fact he publicly showed what he was doing with the money is further proof of no ill-intent. Anyone who knew him would’ve been aware of how he lived, and would’ve known what they were supporting.

  • Likely Earlier

    It was definitely before 2018. He reached out to me in 2016 and many times in 2017.

    • except

      He hasn’t spent a dime on anyone’s luxuries over the past 3 years, just on legal battles to keep his kids in a CH school and visitation. He was not the main beneficiary during the other years. Anyone who wanted to help him should have given him a job instead of throwing cash in all directions to calm a storm that was not of his making. In any case, the article is uncalled for.

    • Anonymous

      Yes he does and probably multiple others. Always a story as to why he has a new PayPal account.

  • Hard Life

    He did have a hard life losing both parents at a young age. He needs real help though. Hopefully he will agree to get.

  • Tania

    I scratch my head that in 2022, people still give to personal tzedakas. Unless the person is a close family member or perhaps a-list friend, the joke is on you. And now a Netflix series will be made about another Jewish person doing exactly what Jewish people have done for millennia…collected money. GIVE TO REPUTABLE ORGANIZATIONS…

  • 1 of many

    Yet he wasn’t the one doing it. For the past three years all he’s fundraised for are legal expenses to keep his kids in a Crown Heights school and to have visitation. He was not the one who had the idea to fundraise and was pushed and can’t say more without trashing someone else (posting this pashkvil is wrong enough and there’s no reason to further it) but he was also not the main beneficiary.

    • Mendy

      He 100% took advantage of a negative circumstance in his life (both parents passed away, his wife wasn’t well etc.) Exaggerated the issue and went after vulnerable people with good hearts to make them take out loans so you can get this money.

      I’m talking from first hand experience.

      This is a Mitzvah Lefarsem!

  • 2 of many

    Limiting the comments to 400 characters is also doesn’t allow for the serious discussion needed to counter this article. He’s a caring father who tried hard to save his family. He’s making sure his kids stay in a Crown Heights school. I lent him once and he did pay back but mostly connected him with family therapists. People should have been offering him jobs. He was willing to take them.

  • 3 of many

    A number of people are shocked that this is the way that things are handled when a solution was presented. He was coerced into trying to save something that couldn’t be. The solution, which he agreed to, was to employ him and direct back onto his own two feet. But, of course, why not just trash him New Yawk style. What a chilul Lubavitch the way things are handled today. Seriously.

    • Mendy

      I offered to get him a job, after he made (convinced) me to take out more money on my credit card then I had in my accounts.

      And the reason was an excuse why he wouldn’t pay me back just four more days just three more days just another three weeks just another month just another this.

      This was done maliciously by him and all the methods that you think should be tried were and failed. Hence…

  • Not black and white

    He did need money for some things and he certainly didn’t have an easy life. Some stories are true but embellished. Had he told just the truth the way it is without dramatising and then spent the money every cent honestly, his situation would be better.
    Unfortunately it will take time to clear this mess to determine what is true and what not.

  • with the old breed

    so what are you going to do…..yeah….this is someone with problems….do you want to make a central office to check out everyone if it is real….many places in the world have this…no that is not going to happen….the bottom line is that Crown Heights is not or ever going to be organized…yeah Chabad is all about order and Crown Heights is non conformist…..that is both good and bad. BH!

  • Mendy Hecht

    Sounds like this young man has a serious issue with a bad habit that he’s become attached to so deeply that he keeps doing it simply because it’s become the only way he knows how to live. We have such characters here in Monsey, too. He needs help, and that’s not a put-down. But first, he needs to reach the end of his rope. This article may be just the thing he needs to finally go to a pro.

  • Rebbetzin

    My son too back in 2017 was approached and gave to him. And it was only partially returned after i got involved.
    That being said this article naming him is very wrong he is an orphan. If you name him then name the Rabbnim who said to publish. Lastly it did not i am sure go to trips to Hawai but to help him stay afloat.

  • Mendel

    As someone who knows him personally and fell for all of his dramatic sub stories and deception i can assure you he had no good intentions. it was deleberate and with ill intention.and it’s about time people speak up and expose him because he is a con artist and a danger to the public. anyone who says this is “pashkvill” and loshon horoh shame on you! What he did is almost unforgivable.

  • Mendel

    I find it astonishing that there are people who are trying to excuse and justify what he has done . He clearly took advantage of good hearted people and stole an enormous amount of money from them there’s no justification for what he did. and as someone said its a mitzvah lefarsam. if these same people were also targeting by him they wouldn’t be commenting such nonsense and stupidity.

    • John doe

      U obviously were scammed out of a pit of money and have a valid reason to be feeling this way and there is no question that this man is sick and needs help offer him help instead of ridicule

  • Yid

    Is there anyway we can get proper clarity regarding this? Confusing if some of his stories are true and there was a need for money, or if totally made up?

  • Mendel

    Some of his his stories were exaggerated so they were partially true but most of what he said was שקר וכזב. Most of the money was spent on restaurants and hotels. But Lets say his stories were tru he never kept his word when it came to pay back he some how managed to come up with an excuse to delay the payment every time he was given more time to pay back.Very shady and dishonest to say the least.

  • Avi

    I lent him thousands over a long period of time. I even fundraised for him and gave a lot of my Maaser money. It was always a story with him. Those who are commenting and saying that this is not true clearly just don’t know the truth and shouldn’t speak about what they don’t know.
    It happened to me that he borrowed money and even stole money from my PayPal which I had to dispute. Beware!

  • Mendel

    I had the exact same experience as some of the people in the comments. never ever did he keep his word and pay back . The people denying what he did and looking for excuses for him are so out of touch with reality it blows my mind . Just to correct my previous comment what he did is not almost unforgivable it is unforgivable Because of his I’ll intent and agmas nefesh he caused me and many others!