According to investigators, Margaret Franklin's Crown Heights home was stolen in August 2004 after Nathen Farkas, 31, forged a power of attorney, signing Franklin's name, that effectively handed control of her assets to co-defendant Russell Pitt.
B’klyn House ‘Theft’
Brooklyn, NY — A devious cabal that included a pedophile rabbi stole a half-million-dollar home from a cancer-stricken woman, using a forged power of attorney to sell it and pocket the profits, Brooklyn prosecutors charged yesterday.
According to investigators, Margaret Franklin’s Crown Heights home was stolen in August 2004 after Nathen Farkas, 31, forged a power of attorney, signing Franklin’s name, that effectively handed control of her assets to co-defendant Russell Pitt.
The power of attorney was notarized by a third defendant, Jerry Brauner, 53, a rabbi who had been on probation since 2002 for the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old boy.
Pitt then “sold” the property to the fourth defendant, Winston Roche, 59, and a $476,000 mortgage was split among Roche, Pitt and Farkas.
“Margaret Franklin never got a nickel,” said Assistant DA Michael Vaccaro. “Then she died.”
Farkas was ordered held in lieu of $85,000 bail and Roche on $45,000. Pitt is still at large.
Brauner was held in lieu of $85,000 bail for lying about prior sex-abuse convictions when he applied for his notary’s license.
Lawyers for the three men arraigned yesterday denied that their clients knew anything sinister was going on, suggesting Pitt was the mastermind.
ISchier
Just so that everyone is clear, this article does not have any connection to our community. The Jewish miscreants are not from CH, and the victim is umm…not from Anash. The address of the house is unknown; it does not necessarily have to be on a street where Anash live.
eli zimmerman
just to make everyone aware that this ws not a lubavitcher
concerned
let the EMES come through, and everyone should get what is coming to them.
What we ask HaShem for is REVEALED GOOD….but after that, we need the EMES REVEALED.
How disgusting for human beings to be so low. With this in mind, we should do MORE mitzvos to bring more tzidkus to our world
yisroel
to add to what “” is “”” wrote .. when it says house is in crown heights is it crown heights north or crown heights south?? .. most of anash lives in crown heights south .. though it is very nice that we are expanding to crown heights north .. and we should be proud that we are growing rather then getting smaller …
Concerned Lawyer
What about the Lubavitcher the took a caterers contract and then bought the house and is now trying to flip it for $100,000 more???
AH
Does it really matter? “Kulanu bnei ish echad anachnu” – we’re all one people. What a chillul Hashem!
just curious
pic or the “Rabbi”
http://theawarenesscenter.o…
Rochel
well thamk g-d he wasn’t Lubavitch it would be sad if he was,(not that it isn’t as it is) That’s all we need for ppl to throw us off the edge of the planet.
how does a person even think of forging a power of attorney, he must have known this woman from before. The story does not seem very clear.
someone
like its never happened here……………………………….
otnick
According to the link posted above this individual is an employee in his father’s bakery in Boro Park. Why do they keep calling him a Rabbi?
ewevewv
39 Herkimer st
Wake up ppl
sheesh enought. PPL get your story staright, there are a million facts flying around,we never seem to get the staight story! Does not mean because a person has a beard that he is a rabbi!
man!
scammed
Unfortunately Lubavitchers do it too! A so-called “Lubavitcher” yunger man forged my husband’s signature, sold our building, which was to have covered several years’ salary, and kept all of the money!
forgery
Ummm…forgery is a serious crime. If this indeed happened, you need to contact a rov and then see if you can go to the District Attorney.
Many of these cases turn out to have less than innocent victims as in business deals gone bad, loans unpaid etc. 2 wrongs don’t make a right, but often the lesser wrong gets the short end of the stick.